The New England Patriots finished the regular season as the AFC East champions with a 14-3 record, going undefeated on the road, and reclaimed their natural position as one of the top teams in the NFL, led by head coach Mike Vrabel and the total rebuild that he constructed.
One of the players Vrabel hand-selected to be on the Patriots is rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. After drafting him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Henderson started off to a slow start in terms of running between the tackles and pass protection.
The rookie rusher, however, inherited a much larger role throughout the season due to injuries and depth issues. In that time, he showed that he is the real deal and can handle being an every-down running back. From Week 8 to Week 15, Henderson saw over 10 rushing attempts in every game, six of which were for at least 14 rushing attempts.
Henderson finished his rookie season with 180 attempts for 911 yards and nine touchdowns, to go along with 32 receptions on 42 targets for 221 yards and another score. He set franchise records with four touchdowns of over 50-plus yards, and he also tied an NFL record with Saquon Barkley and Chris Johnson for multiple games with scoring two touchdowns of over 50-plus yards in NFL history.
TreVeyon Henderson Was as Advertised in 1st Patriots Season
Henderson made franchise history with his total rushing yards and from scrimmage. He finished with 911 rushing yards, which is the sixth-most for a Patriots rookie, and nine rushing touchdowns tied him with the third-most in franchise history for a rookie, the first player since Robert Edwards did it in 1998.
Furthermore, Henderson is the first rookie running back to score a receiving touchdown for the Patriots since Lawrence Maroney in 2006, and his 35 receptions are tied for first in team history.
It’s worth mentioning that Henderson has performed exactly as he was advertised coming out of Ohio State University. A lot of people saw him as the top running back prospect in his draft class when it came to NFL readiness and preparation for the next level. His size became a factor, as many believed that he’s not capable of being a true workhorse back at 5’10”, 202 lbs., but I’d say he proved that he can handle it if and when the team needs it from him.
What I found most impressive from Henderson in his rookie season isn’t the obvious takeaways of his athleticism and his speed, but how durable he showed that he is. He played in all 17 games, even breaking through the concussion protocol last week after taking a hard hit in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens.
One last note on Henderson and his rookie season. There was some internal debate in the war room about whether or not to even draft him in the second round. We learned that it was between Henderson and offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins one pick ahead of New England. So they had secured Henderson regardless, but it’s interesting to know the details of that player debate now.
It’s safe to say that Henderson was the right choice for this year and in the future, leaving Patriots fans excited to see what he'll do as an encore in the playoffs and into Year 2.