The New England Patriots needed to add playmakers on offense to help their young quarterback Drake Maye, and they tried to address that in the 2025 NFL Draft by selecting running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round.
The former Ohio State star ran for 1,016 yards with 10 touchdowns, while catching 27 passes for 284 yards and one touchdown for the Buckeyes last season. He also fumbled zero times over the last two years and is elite in blitz pickup.
With such a versatile skill set, what should we expect of Henderson with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels running the show again in Foxboro?
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On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Next Pats Podcast, Phil Perry answered that question and more.
“I think he looks quick. I think he looks sure-handed,” Perry said. “This is a passing camp, but we’re gonna see screens, we’re gonna see flare passes into the flat. We’re gonna see, I think, the opportunity for Henderson to align out wide in empty formations. We’re going to see Henderson and Antonio Gibson side by side in the ‘Pony’ personnel package out of the shotgun where you might be able to do a little bit of everything with that grouping on the field.
“How much more do we see of Henderson? How involved is he? It’s a really interesting case. He’s a second-round pick for a team that is desperate for offensive talent. There’s gotta be a real role there. Is that role limited to what we’ve seen in the past from Josh McDaniels and his sub-backs? You’re thinking James White, Shane Vereen, Kevin Faulk — of that ilk. He’s had other running backs, sort of do-it-all types, like Dion Lewis, Danny Woodhead, Rex Burkhead. These guys are all sub-back built, but Josh McDaniels was very comfortable running those guys between the tackles. It’s not that he wasn’t comfortable doing it with James White, but that wasn’t really James White’s game or Shane Vereen’s game.
“Those guys could do it. But you had your big backs like LeGarrette Blount, BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Rhamondre Stevenson. And then you have your sub-backs and the guys who kinda bridge the gap between the two. Is Henderson going to be more of a true sub-back, or a Dion Lewis-type where you can have him on the field a lot? But at about 200 pounds, which is where Henderson sits, do you trust him to be a lead-back type? Who is Henderson? Where is he on that spectrum of Josh McDaniels running backs?
“There’s incredible value in being James White, if that’s what he ends up being. But if you want to run the football more — you have a young guy at quarterback and you want the ball in his hands a lot — but are you going to be able to use him as much as you want if he’s a true sub-back as a second-round pick? I guess that’s my question.”
One popular pro player comparison for Henderson is Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. He ran the ball 12 times per game as a rookie and 15 times per game in his second season. He also caught about three passes per game both years. Could we see a similar workload for Henderson?
“Are they going to be comfortable running Henderson 15 times per game? To me, give it a shot and see how he handles it,” Perry said. “He’s that good of an athlete, and you’re that needy in terms of offensive talent. Would you do it right off the bat as a rookie? Maybe not. You might feel comfortable where Gibbs was as a rookie and give him 10-12 carries per game. I think that should be in the range of how you’re using Henderson as a second-round pick.”
Running back could be the Patriots’ most impressive position on offense this season. Stevenson can be a top 15 running back when healthy, Gibson is a talented pass-catcher and Henderson could be a do-it-all type.
It’s a real luxury for McDaniels to have this much talent and depth to work with. Now he just needs to figure out which roles can maximize these players’ production.
Also in this episode:
- Aaron Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers — what it means for the Patriots and what NFL evaluators are saying about him.
- Eight things to look out for at Patriots minicamp next week, including a deep dive into Stefon Diggs and rookie Kyle Williams.
- We hear from receivers coach Todd Downing and get his thoughts about Kyle Williams.
- Hear from TE coach Thomas Brown about finding the right players to play fullback.
- Mailbag! Phil answers your questions.
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