When it comes to explosive players, TreVeyon Henderson was the very definition of that in helping lead Ohio State to a national championship in 2024. Can the No. 38 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft bring his dynamic skillset to the New England Patriots and add more explosion to the offense?
The answer is an astounding yes. With his speed, Henderson is a big play waiting to happen whenever he touches the ball, which will help second-year quarterback Drake Maye be even more effective in 2025. As a running back who can pass protect and catch the ball out of the backfield, the writing is on the wall for Henderson to shine under Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who thrives with running backs like Henderson in the offense.
TreVeyon Henderson the perfect piece of the puzzle in New England
In fact, Henderson may be the most talented back McDaniels will get to work with. In the past, he has found success with running backs such as Shane Vereen, James White and Brandon Bolden in the passing game. Henderson is a is a player who can be even more impactful than each of those players as highlighted by NFL.Com’s Marc Ross who named Henderson as one of the ten rookies in the best situations to succeed in their rookie season.
He writes:
“Henderson can make a major impact in both the run and pass games to take pressure off of Drake Maye, who carried the offense in nearly every way as a rookie. Henderson will pair with Rhamondre Stevenson out of the backfield, but the rookie looks to be the more dynamic runner right now, with Stevenson's yards-per-carry mark decreasing from 5.0 in 2022 to 3.9 in 2024.
When Mike Vrabel's teams in Tennessee were at their best, Derrick Henry was at the center of the offense. I'd like to think the new Patriots head coach envisioned Henderson taking on a similar role behind a rebuilt offensive line.”
It would put a lot of pressure on Henderson if he was the center of the offense, but as an impactful piece to the offense, the Patriots rookie should add explosion to the offense as an outlet for Maye to get the ball to in quick passing situations. If the offensive line is solid, he should also flourish in the screen game mastery of McDaniels.
In all, Henderson gives the Patriots another weapon on offense, but he should also inspire Stevenson to be more impactful in his fifth season with the Patriots. That would be a win-win for Vrabel, McDaniels and the Patriots’ offense. Maybe that is the real motivation behind drafting a running back as high as they selected Henderson.