Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored two touchdowns against the Buccaneers on Nov. 9, reaching two of the top 15 speeds among ballcarriers in the NFL this season.
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored two touchdowns against the Buccaneers on Nov. 9, reaching two of the top 15 speeds among ballcarriers in the NFL this season.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — For the first time in recent memory, the Patriots have legitimate team speed.
According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, New England has had three plays in the top 15 this season in speed of the ballcarrier. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson is fifth, having hit a top speed of 22.01 miles per hour on his 55-yard touchdown against the Buccaneers on Nov. 9. Rookie receiver Kyle Williams is eighth, having clocked 21.78 m.p.h. on his 72-yard touchdown reception in the same game.
Henderson also has the 15th spot, with a 21.38 m.p.h. on his 69-yard touchdown run, also against Tampa Bay.
Henderson’s 22.01 is just .37 slower than the top speed measured this year, by Colts running back Jonathan Taylor’s 22.38 on a 43-yard touchdown reception in Week 2.
The last time the Patriots had a player anywhere on this list? In 2018, when Devin McCourty finished third that season at 22.05 m.p.h. on a pick-6.
Small wonder that when you take an informal poll in the Patriots’ locker room, Henderson and Williams are the names that come up the most often, along with cornerback/returner Marcus Jones and special teamer Brenden Schooler.
“I like TreVeyon, Kyle, and probably Marcus Jones,” said wide receiver Stefan Diggs.
Would Diggs be quick enough to be included in the top five?
“If somebody is chasing me,” he said with a smile.
“I’m fast, but those boys are different,” receiver DeMario Douglas said, pointing to Williams and Henderson across the locker room. “Those boys are crazy fast.”
“Probably Trey or Kyle. They both hit 22 [m.p.h.] this year,” said safety Jaylinn Hawkins. “Marcus is fast. Marcus is very fast.”
Henderson, who ran a 4.43 at the combine, welcomes the chance to go head to head with Williams.
“Me and Kyle, we’re going to race and see who’s the fastest,” Henderson said.
Asked about the fastest guys on the roster, Williams agreed he would be in the conversation, but added there’s many candidates.
“[Christian Gonzalez] is in there. And Marcus is OK,” said Williams, who said he ran a 4.39 in college but posted a 4.4 at the combine. “But for a lot of our offensive skill players, our overall 40 time has to be something close to 4, or 4-something.”
Jones, who ran a 4.38 40 in college, insists he’s the fastest player on the team, saying that the important thing to remember in his case is he’s starting from a standing position as a returner and needs to get into high gear quickly.
“I would say he gets from 0 to 100 really quickly,” said special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer. “His acceleration is really good, so that always helps.”
While Henderson and Williams have allowed the offense to hit the turbo button, the boost in speed has really been felt on special teams. Antonio Gibson hit 20 m.p.h. on his 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 2 against the Dolphins, and Jones hit 20.1 m.p.h. on his 87-yard punt return for a score in Week 4 against the Panthers.
“Any time you have guys who can take it the distance, it always makes it easier as a coach, because if you can block 10 of the guys up, you’re going to have an opportunity,” Springer said. “Or if you don’t block all 10 up, then those guys can make a couple of guys miss. And then, there’s the speed aspect of it. If you have home-run speed, it makes everything in your job a little easier.”
But the name that kept coming up was Schooler, who manages to consistently hit 20 m.p.h. and deliver crushing hits at the same time. Many point to his hit last season on Tennessee’s Jha’Quan Jackson on the kickoff at the start of overtime — a hit that caused Schooler’s left arm to briefly go numb and Jackson to briefly lose the handle — as an example of his ability to play with speed and violence.
“If you hit a guy so fast and so hard that the ball pops out, anything can happen,” said Schooler, who ran a 4.43 40 in college.
“Schooler is very fast,” Hawkins said. “Hella fast. He closes ground so quickly.”
Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler plays with speed and violence.
Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler plays with speed and violence.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
“Once he starts opening it up, he’s just moving at a different speed,” Henderson said of Schooler. “The first time seeing him on film, he was outrunning everyone. He’s definitely different.”
“He’s always at like 21-something,” Springer added. “He’s always up there. He’s a 21 m.p.h.-plus guy. He’s fast. Yeah, he can run.”
Schooler, who said Henderson is probably the fastest player on the roster, says his approach is simple.
“I just think you win with speed and violence, and if you can’t win with violence, you win with speed. Sometimes, you’ve got to win with both. It all depends on the play, how much room I have, and what kind of guy I’m going up against,” he said. “But it’s always been a strength of mine to go fast. And when I’m out there, it’s all about going as fast as I can and being able to hit the crap out of the guy.”
Only time will tell if the recent surge in speed will pay long-term dividends for the Patriots. In the short term, Henderson likes the approach the franchise took this past offseason.
“They did a good job picking up a lot of fast guys,” he said with a laugh.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.