FOXBORO — The Patriots added a playmaker with their first pick of Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Patriots selected Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round with the 38th overall pick.
“I’m feeling amazing,” Henderson said after being selected. “I’m excited.”
Henderson said he only had one Zoom meeting with Patriots running backs coach Tony Dews, so he was surprised to be picked by New England.
Henderson is a speedy, undersized running back out of head coach Mike Vrabel’s alma mater. The 5-foot-10, 202-pound ball carrier ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2024 for the national champion Buckeyes.
“I’m fast, I’m explosive. I’m good in 1-on-1 matchups,” Henderson said of his game. “My receiving, my blocking, I pretty much can do it all.”
Henderson shared the backfield with Quinshon Judkins, who surprisingly went two picks earlier to the Browns. Henderson ran for 1,016 yards on 144 carries with 10 touchdowns in 2024 and caught 27 passes for 284 yards with another score.
In his four-year college career, Henderson, a team captain in 2024, carried the ball 590 times for 3,761 yards 42 touchdowns. He caught 77 passes for 853 yards with six receiving touchdowns. Henderson fumbled just twice during his college career.
Henderson will join Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson and Terrell Jennings in the Patriots’ running back room. Henderson has the ability to take on early-down carries but could shine in the third-down back pass-catching role in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
That role previously was manned by James White, Shane Vereen and Kevin Faulk, among others. Running backs must be able to catch the ball out of the backfield and block in the third-down role. Henderson allowed three hurries in blitz pickup last season.
McDaniels hasn’t shied away from giving undersized running backs early-down roles either. Dion Lewis and Danny Woodhead both played hybrid roles as early-down/pass-catching backs.
Henderson arrived at Ohio State as a five-star recruit out of Hopewell (Va.) High School, where he rushed for 2,424 yards and 45 touchdowns on the way to a state championship while also playing defensive back.
Henderson made an immediate impact at Ohio State with 183 carries for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman in 2021 while earning Freshman All-American honors. He missed eight games due to injuries during his college career, including five games with a foot injury in 2022. Henderson played all 16 games, starting nine, last season.
Henderson is a big-time big-play threat. He had 32 10-plus-yard runs in 2024 and 21 that went over 15 yards. Big plays (15 yards or more) accounted for 544 of his rushing yards last season. He was also adept at making defenders miss with 37 missed tackles forced and 4.43 yards after contact per carry.
There’s room for Henderson to play a big role for the Patriots. McDaniels was still in his second tenure as offensive coordinator when Stevenson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he had a solid rookie season sharing the backfield with Damien Harris, carrying the ball 133 times for 606 yards with five touchdowns, adding 14 catches for 123 yards.
Stevenson had a major fumbling issue last season, however, putting the ball on the ground seven times. He carried the ball 207 times for 801 yards with seven touchdowns while catching 33 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown. He signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension with the Patriots last offseason that locks him up through the 2028 season.
Gibson was solid in 2024, carrying the ball 120 times for 538 yards with one touchdown and catching 23 passes for 206 yards. Gibson, a college wide receiver, also has potential to take on a third-down role under McDaniels.
But if Henderson shows explosiveness in training camp and the preseason, then he could steal carries from Stevenson and Gibson. He’s the highest-drafted Patriots running back since Sony Michel was selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
This was considered a strong and deep running back class. Henderson was viewed as a consensus second-round pick. He ranked 37th on MockDraftDatabase.com’s consensus draft board. He was the fourth running back selected after Ashton Jeanty (sixth, Raiders), Omarion Hampton (22nd, Chargers) and Judkins (36th, Browns).
The Patriots still have needs at wide receiver, edge defender and defensive tackle. Henderson is the second offensive player selected by the Patriots in the 2025 NFL Draft after they made offensive tackle Will Campbell the fourth overall pick on Thursday night.
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