Five things to know about new Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (2025)

Patriots

TreVeyon Henderson scored five of his 11 touchdowns last season during the College Football Playoff.

By Conor Ryan

April 25, 2025

4 minutes to read

The Patriots added a dynamic running back to their offensive personnel on Friday — selecting Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson in the second round (No. 38 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Henderson — who won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024 — will now join a Patriots running back group already led by Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.

Here are five things to know about New England’s latest rushing threat.

Henderson stuffed the stat sheet with the Buckeyes

Even in a deep RB draft class, Henderson separated himself from the pack as a productive playmaker across four seasons with the Buckeyes.

He was a versatile weapon in Ryan Day’s offense in 2024, rushing for 1,016 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns across 16 games while also reeling in 27 catches for 284 yards and one receiving touchdown.

Beyond his ability to carve up defenses on the ground and through the air, Henderson holds additional value as a three-down back with a knack for limiting turnovers. He was only knocked for one fumble across his four seasons with the Buckeyes — with zero occurring over the past three years.

The 5-foot-10 back shared reps last season with Quinshon Judkins, but played his best football down the stretch for Ohio State — scoring five of his 11 total touchdowns during the College Football Playoff.

Across four seasons at Ohio State, Henderson rushed for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns in 47 games — adding 853 yards and six touchdowns receiving. He ranks fourth all-time at Ohio State in career rushing yards, with only Archie Griffin, J.K. Dobbins, and Ezekiel Elliott in front of him.

He has home-run potential in the backfield

Henderson already held plenty of appeal for New England given his soft hands and track record of not putting the ball on the ground.

But given New England’s dearth of potent firepower in 2024 (17.0 points per game, 30th overall), an explosive athlete like Henderson could serve as a much-needed remedy moving forward.

Henderson has impressive straight-line speed, with the 22-year-old back posting a time of 4.43 in the 40-yard dash in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year. As noted by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, 22.1 percent of Henderson’s carries in 2024 resulted in gains of 10 or more yards. That stood as the third-best mark in the FBS.

According to The 33rd Team, Henderson posted a max speed of 22 miles per hour last season — with only Brian Thomas Jr., Jahmyr Gibbs, and KaVontae Turpin racing 22+ miles per hour among NFL ball carries in 2024.

That speed and athleticism also made Henderson a productive pass-catcher when called upon, as he sported a career 11.1 yards per catch average at Ohio State.

He does have some durability concerns

Even if the expectation is that Henderson slots in as part of an already established running-back room with Stevenson and Gibson, he wasn’t exactly a featured bellcow with the Buckeyes either — due in part to a myriad of injuries.

He missed five games as a sophomore in 2022 due to a broken sesamoid bone in his left foot before sitting out multiple games as a junior due to several ailments.

Even with his impressive showing in 2024, Henderson was part of a 1-2 punch on that Buckeyes’ roster — withJudkins (194 rushing attempts) earning more reps than him (144 rushing attempts).

He used his NIL money to help his mother retire

Henderson secured a steady source of funds as a result of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals during his tenure at Ohio State.

But as noted by 247Sports, Henderson used those payouts to help his mother, Lakeesha Hayes-Winfield, retire from the two jobs that she was working at in their hometown of Hopewell, Virginia.

“I watched my mom have to struggle growing up and have trouble trying to take care of us and provide for us,” Henderson said. “But she always worked so hard and she always did whatever she had to do to make sure we were straight.

“And now, with NIL coming in, I can take care of her. Forever. Hopefully forever. But yeah, this is just the start now. She’s straight now. She doesn’t have to worry about anything. … Whatever my mom needs, whatever my grandma needs, whatever those two need, I send it right to them.”

He’s battled issues with sleep paralysis

Beyond injuries on the field, Henderson has been candid about his battles with sleep paralysis — a temporary state where individuals are unable to move while they are either falling asleep or waking up.

During those episodes – which can last for several minutes — people can experience hallucinations and other traumatic incidents, with Henderson telling the Eleven Warriors blog that he would occasionally hear voices while frozen.

“It started when I was a kid,” Henderson told Eleven Warriors. “I’ve always had this, and when I got to college and had those workouts, I couldn’t go to sleep. I’d be up until it was time to go to training. I’d be up until it was time to go to practice, not getting any sleep because I was dealing with that.”

Henderson, who also acknowledged that he has also dealt with depression and other mental health challenges throughout his football career, has praised the role of faith in helping him overcome these hurdles.

“When I look back on my life, I see that God was there the whole time,” Henderson said. “He was there when I was feeling those suicidal thoughts. He was there when I was feeling depressed and hurt.

“He was there the whole time, just waiting patiently for me to see. I’m so thankful that, at just the right time when I lost all hope in my life, that he allowed me to see that he was right there.”