Image courtesy of Ohio State Athletics 

The Patriots drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick of the second round. Henderson was a four year starter at Ohio State and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2024. He scored 48 touchdowns in his career with the Buckeyes. He is the school’s third all-time leading rusher.

Inside Runner: Henderson runs with good balance and patience. Does a good job of sticking his foot in the ground and making one hard cut. He won’t push the pile inside but he runs hard and runs with good contact balance.

Outside Runner: Patient to the corner. Runs with good balance and hits the alley full speed. Henderson has a legitimate second gear and if he gets into the second and third level, he is going to finish his runs. Does a great job of letting the defense flow and hits the cutback.

Elusive Runner: Henderson has some shake in space. Does a good job of setting up defenders and changing direction. Makes better cuts on outside zone, not as elusive on inside zone or man gap runs.

Power Runner: Runs with good balance and absorbs contact. Gets small in the hole and can fit in behind blockers, specifically pullers and stay behind them. Patient runner on counter and power. Allows blocks to develop.

Blocker: The best pass blocking back in this class. Stays square, punches, recoils and resets. Keeps his eyes on the target and sustains his blocks once engaged. Does a good job of punching and releasing on chip releases.

Hand Routes: One of the best receiving backs in this draft. Henderson has a natural feel for catching the football. Can be used as receiver both in motion and aligned in the slot or on the line. Runs a full receiver route tree. Sets up defenders in space as a receiver. He can make them miss and pick up additional yards.

Durability: Tough but injury prone. Missed time in both 2022 and 2023. Healthy last season but he will need to prove he can stay on the field.

Running Style: Slasher who does a great job of sticking his foot in the ground and accelerating through the cut. Runs with good power and balance but he is not a power back.

Final Thoughts: Henderson fits what the Patriots want out of their running backs as a runner, receiver and pass blocker. He is tailor made to play in the Patriots offense under Josh McDaniels. He will be a change of pace to Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson and he could eventually develop into a starting running back. He is a good value pick in this spot. Some teams had him as a first round pick but he slipped into the second round.