Who is TreVeyon Henderson, the pass-catching running back drafted by the Patriots
The New England Patriots added an explosive weapon early on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, taking Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th overall pick on Friday night. Henderson will give Patriots quarterback Drake Maye a dangerous pass-catching back out of the New England backfield.
"I'm fast, explosive, good in one-on-one matchups. My receiving ability and blocking – I can pretty much do it all," Henderson said confidently when talking with the New England media shortly after being drafted.
Henderson had a huge season for the Buckeyes in 2024 on their way to a national championship, and now he'll team up with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson in New England. The Patriots have needed a pass-catching running back since James White retired, and Henderson should fill that role nicely in the New England offense.
Henderson said he was pretty surprised to be drafted by the Patriots, considering he only held a Zoom call with running backs coach Tony Dews during the pre-draft process.
"Honestly I had no clue that New England was going to be the spot," said Henderson. "So it was definitely a surprise."
He was with his parents, two grandmothers, and his brother when Mike Vrabel (a fellow Buckeye) and the Patriots called him with the good news. He didn't even know who was on the clock when his phone started ringing, so he wasn't sure what to expect.
Henderson said it was an emotional moment for everyone, so much so that he doesn't even remember what his new head coach had to say after drafting him.
"I was so excited and it went by so fast. There was so much emotions I barely remember," Henderson said with a laugh.
Who is TreVeyon Henderson?
The 22-year-old running back was born on October 22, 2002 in Hopewell, Virginia. He was a five-star recruit out of Hopewell High School, where he ran for over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns despite not playing his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped Hopedale win a state championship in 2019, when Henderson was also the Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year. Nationally, he was the top running back of his class.
Henderson stands at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He had the highest athleticism score of all running backs at the Combine.
TreVeyon Henderson put up big numbers at Ohio State
Henderson shared the backfield with Quinshon Judkins in 2024, but he still rushed for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns during his senior season for the Buckeyes. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry to lead the Big Ten, and also caught 27 passes for 284 yards and added another touchdown through the air.
Over his four seasons at Ohio State, Henderson ran for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns in 47 games. He also finished with 853 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions.
TreVeyon Henderson had a big playoff run for Buckeyes
Henderson had quite the run during the CFB playoffs last year, rushing for 265 yards (averaging 7.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns while adding eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State's playoff wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame.
He rushed for two touchdown against both Tennessee and Oregeon, and then turned a short reception into a 75-yard catch-and-run score against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
TreVeyon Henderson set an Ohio State rookie record
Henderson wasted no time making an impact at Ohio State, leading the team with 1,248 rushing yards as a freshman. He found the end zone 19 times (15 rushing, four receiving) to set a new school record for a freshman.
All those big numbers earned Henderson Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and a Freshman All-American nod.
Henderson also set a single-game rushing record in just his third game at Ohio State, when he ran for 270 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Tulsa.
TreVeyon Henderson is in the Ohio State record books
Henderson battled injuries during his sophomore and junior season, which limited him to 18 games over those two years. But he finished his Buckeye career with 3,761 rushing yards -- good for fifth-most in the Ohio State record books.
He is also No. 3 on Ohio State's all time touchdown list with 48.
TreVeyon Henderson has great hands
Henderson had 667 career touches at Ohio State. He fumbled just twice, and recovered both of them himself. Throughout his college career, Henderson lost zero fumbles at Ohio State.
He also caught the top portion of the national championship trophy when Vice President JD Vance fumbled it during Ohio State's visit to the White House. The kid has great hands no matter the situation.
What will TreVeyon Henderson bring to the Patriots?
Henderson will give the Patriots a lot of dynamic speed out of the backfield with some big-play capability as both a rusher and a pass-catcher. At Ohio State, Henderson had 11 plays from scrimmage that went for over 50 yards.
He's also a pretty solid blocker, which is always a big plus in Mike Vrabel's book. Henderson could also potentially return kickoffs for New England at the NFL level.
