Over the weekend, the newest era of Patriots football continued with the NFL Draft. Eleven players were selected by the Patriots in an impressive 2025 class, the first under head coach Mike Vrabel.
Throughout the draft, Vrabel and company made it a priority to surround Drake Maye with the infrastructure to succeed. Early on, the Patriots took left tackle Will Campbell at No.4 to be the next great offensive lineman in Foxborough.
Other offensive additions included receiver Kyle Williams and center Jared Wilson in the third round, followed by kicker Andres Borregales and tackle Marcus Bryant in the sixth and seventh rounds.
While all were great additions and should help New England improve upon 17 points per game from last season, one Patriots draft pick is already receiving high praise from an NFL GM, someone the Patriots are all too familiar with.
TreVeyon Henderson Receives High Praise From Colts GM Chris Ballard
The Patriots selected running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick in the draft. A four-year contributor at Ohio State, Henderson was selected just two picks after his teammate and fellow running back Quinshon Judkins.
Some would say running back wasn't an immediate need for New England, especially in the second round, but they got a great player in Henderson. A hard runner who can catch out of the backfield and pass-protect on third down will always appeal to former Buckeye Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel, like any good coach, has an obsession with good blockers at skill positions. A big reason why the Patriots brought in receiver Mack Hollins was his ability to block, and Vrabel wants the offense to be a cohesive unit that will open up opportunities for others.
Henderson is the total package and such a great fit for what this Patriots team wants to do in 2025. Other GMs may be shaking their heads, knowing Henderson slipped away from their teams.
While Ballard drafted one of the best running backs in the league in Jonathan Taylor (a second-round pick), he praises Henderson for doing the dirty work that many others in his position struggle to do.
Going off of Ballard's comments, running backs who can pass-block are hard to come by in the modern college football landscape, and Henderson was looked at as the best blocker out of this year's RB class.
The Patriots are trying to make Drake Maye's life easier going forward, and the selection of Henderson does just that. His role in the Patriots offense remains to be seen, but fans can expect to see him on passing downs nonetheless.
Josh McDaniels back in New England means fans can expect more of an "RB by committee" approach with Henderson added alongside Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. All three backs pose different skill sets, which could become a total headache for opposing defenses.
Along with his skills in pass-protection, Henderson is a home-run hitting back. In the Big Ten, the 22-year-old finished first in yards per carry in two different seasons during his college career.
Back in 2021, Henderson averaged 6.8 yards per carry, and this past season, he averaged 7.1 YPC as he became a national champion with Ohio State. NFL defenses will pose a different type of challenge, but Henderson has shown getaway speed that will always translate well into a Patriots uniform. He finished tied with the seventh-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.43) among running backs at the NFL Combine.
The Patriots have filled a plethora of needs, one being a pass-catching running back, throughout the duration of this offseason. Mike Vrabel had a plan and executed it in terms of drafting and signing key free agents, and this Patriots team looks completely different than it did three months ago.
An exciting 2025 draft class, headlined by Will Campbell and the aforementioned Henderson, has Pats Nation buzzing. There is a sense of excitement in New England that hasn't been there since 2021, with new faces trying to reshape the organization after two abysmal seasons.