The Patriots have had a impressive history of pass catching backs that can impact the offense. From Kevin Faulk to Danny Woodhead to Shane Vereen and James White, New England has seen more than its share of big plays from that position.
Mike Vrabel and his personnel staff may have found the next one in TreVeyon Henderson, and he may be the most explosive of the bunch.
Henderson was selected in the second round, 38th overall, after a solid career at Ohio State. The 5-10, 202-pound running back was productive both as a runner and receiver, but it's his ability to turn in big plays that allows him to stand out in the pack.
During his college career with the Buckeyes, Henderson averaged 6.4 yards per carry and that number rose to 7.1 last season. He also averaged 11.1 yards per reception over his four seasons. With year-by-year long carries of 68, 41, 75 and 66 yards, plus receptions of 70, 31, 65 and 75 yards, it's clear he has the ability to make big plays.
"That's not being fair to him," OSU running backs coach Carlos Locklyn said with a laugh when it was suggested Henderson had some explosiveness to his game. "Don't put the word 'some' on there. He has a hell of a lot of explosiveness. He can take it to the house from anywhere on the field, and he has. But he has some power to him as well."
Henderson also excels in another area of the game that is vital to his role: pass protection. Locklyn says his pupil was the best pass protector in college football, regardless of position. A peek at his highlight tape shows numerous thundering hits on unsuspecting linebackers making a beeline toward Henderson's quarterback.
"In six-man pass protections he gets his hands on linebackers and gets great leverage," Locklyn said. "You'd think he was a 225- or 230-pound guy the way he rocks guys. I know [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] is going to tap into that. He hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can do as back.
"He's the best pass protector in college football, period. As a back, it wasn't even close."
As impressive as Henderson's work out of the Ohio State backfield is, he may be even more so off the field. Locklyn describes him as a selfless player with the team's best interests in mind at all times. Prior to the 2024 season, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day approached Henderson to ask how he would feel about adding running back Quinshon Judkins to the roster via the transfer portal.
Rather than viewing such a move as a threat to his playing time, Henderson embraced it and told his coach he would be in favor of doing anything that would help the team win. The Buckeyes went on to capture the national title with both backs leading the way.
"I've had a lot of backs in my career and TreVeyon is the best leader I've ever been around," said Locklyn, who also coached Patriots running back Antonio Gibson during his time at Memphis. "My wife, my kids … they absolutely love him. He's a hard worker. Everything about him is what you want in a person. He's just a great man.
"He embraces his teammates. He was always doing things with the younger backs, going out to eat together and things like that. He's a strong believer in the fellowship of being together. It's not all about him. He always says it's for the love of my brother. That's what makes him such a great pass protector. He'll play for 10 years and be a great organization guy, great in the community."
Henderson should get an opportunity to contribute to the offense immediately. Rhamondre Stevenson and Gibson top the returning depth chart at running back, with young Terrell Jennings is also set to return. Gibson has extensive experience as a pass catcher and showed the ability to be productive between the tackles last year, but he doesn't possess the kind of electricity Henderson can provide.
Locklyn often compared Henderson to White, who was immensely productive at Wisconsin before arriving in New England as a fourth-round pick back in 2014. But the rookie has the potential to be more dangerous than the ever-dependable White in the open field with his speed and explosiveness.
The one thing Locklyn says Henderson may need to solidify his game is improvement when churning out the tough yards inside. It's not that Henderson lacks the power to do so, but his coach believes his patience on such plays could be better.
"That's one thing when he was prepping for Combine interviews he asked me to help him with," Locklyn said. "I told him it's not always about being an on the outside getting the ball on the edge kind of guy. He understood that and he improved that this year.
"He's going to be fine running between the tackles. He has enough weight on him and has a very high IQ as a football player and understands how to set up blocks and the run schemes. He'll have every opportunity to be a three-down back. He's just scratching the surface of what he can be."
Strengths: Exceptional working in space and accelerating … Finishes runs well, always moving forward … True home-run hitter with more than 22 percent of his carries resulting in gains of 10 yards or more … Excellent ball security with just two fumbles on 667 career touches … Excellent route-runner and pass protector … Team captain as a senior. Earned praise from coach Ryan Day with his team-first attitude … Willing to grind out tough yards between the tackles as well.
Weaknesses: More comfortable as a change-of-pace back on the edges … At times struggles in tight spaces with his vision … Missed time during sophomore (five games/foot) and junior (three games) seasons due to injury, raising questions about his potential workload … Lacks patience at times.
Personal: Played soccer and basketball growing up in Virginia … Excelled as a defensive back early in his HS career and was heavily recruited before adding running back duties as a junior … Older half-brother Ronnie Walker Jr. was a running back at Indiana (2018-19), Virginia (2019-20) and Utah Tech (2023). Younger brother Kesean was a three-star recruit in 2024 class … Uncle (Alphonso Harris) played running back at Morgan State and went to camp with Washington … Wears No. 32 in honor of his grandfather (Albert Lee Harris) who was a record-breaking track and football star at Hopewell HS … Twitter handle: @TreVeyonH4
Comparable NFL player: Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets – Similar versatility out of the backfield with true home-run ability.
BY THE NUMBERS
| YEAR | ATT. | YDS. | AVG. | LONG | TD | REC. | YDS. | AVG. | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 183 | 1,248 | 6.8 | 68 | 15 | 27 | 312 | 11.6 | 70 | 4 |
| 2022 | 107 | 571 | 5.3 | 41 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2023 | 156 | 926 | 5.9 | 75 | 11 | 19 | 229 | 12.1 | 65 | 0 |
| 2024 | 144 | 1,016 | 7.1 | 66 | 10 | 27 | 284 | 10.5 | 75 | 1 |
| Totals | 590 | 3,761 | 6.4 | 75 | 37 | 77 | 853 | 11.1 | 75 | 6 |
WORKOUT NUMBERS
| HENDERSON | COMBINE AVG. FOR POS. | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5-10 | 5-10 |
| Weight | 202 | 218 |
| 40-Yards | 4.43 | 4.53 |
| Vertical Jump | 38.5 | 35.1 |
| Long Jump | 10-8 | 9-8 |
| Shuttle | DNP | 4.3 |
| Cone | DNP | 6.9 |
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING …
"They LOVE, LOVE him in that program. He's unselfish, really productive, can play on all three downs and is about the team first." – NFC director of scouting
