With the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected RB TreVeyon Henderson out of Ohio State. Henderson is coming off a National Championship with the Buckeyes and will be looking to feature as the RB1 in this Patriots offense right out of the gate. He can run it effectively, averaging 6.4 yards per carry in college with 42 touchdowns, but he can also catch the ball out of the backfield, as his 853 career receiving yards and six touchdowns suggest. He’s a do-it-all back, who eventually could be a PPR machine once he’s solidified as the main man in the New England backfield.
Whether or not the Patriots make him earn it over the course of the season remains to be seen, but Henderson is the long-term starter. So, was being drafted to the Patriots beneficial to Henderson’s fantasy outlook?
Despite the struggles of Rhamondre Stevenson last year, the Patriots were still an above average rushing team as they finished 14th in the NFL with 115.8 yards per game. Stevenson is coming off his worst statistical yards per carry season, only averaging 3.9.
Stevenson and Antonio Gibson will round out the rest of the running back room. Stevenson and Henderson will be battling it out for the starting job all summer. No matter who gets the nod early on, you have to imagine that Henderson will emerge as the clear-cut RB1 at some point. He impressed early in preseason, taking his first NFL touch 100 yards to the house on a kickoff return.
It’s just preseason, but Henderson has been electric. He had one carry for 18 yards in that opening game against Washington, and added three catches for 12 yards. In the second preseason game vs. Minnesota, we saw a bit more of his rushing ability as he finished with four carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. Scoring two touchdowns in your first two games is always a good sign, preseason or not.
It will likely be a split backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson early, but Henderson is primed to be the bell cow back for this team at some point in the season. Unless Stevenson has a bounce-back start to the season, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots not handing the reins over to the younger, cheaper option with a higher ceiling, sooner rather than later.
