To the naked eye, the Patriots' selection of Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson appeared to be a random pick, with New England going with the best player available at No. 38 overall early in the second round. A few skeptics wondered why the Patriots would use that pick on a running back when the team already has Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
The fact is that the Patriots were getting multiple calls for the pick, from the Chicago Bears in particular, but Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel shut the door on every single offer made to the Patriots.
And it's a good thing they did, as the explosive Henderson provides New England with a dynamic weapon out of the backfield that will supercharge Drake Maye and the offense.
Rejection of trades shows Patriots were all in on TreVeyon Henderson
I was surprised that Henderson, arguably the second-best running back in the draft behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, was still available early in the second round. Given the blend of his explosiveness, talent, and versatility as an option in the passing game, I thought he would be off the board late in the first round.
But that wasn't the case, and he was sitting right there for the Patriots to draft at 38th overall.
On the first episode of "Forged in Foxbrough," a documentary centered around the Patriots' reloading, the Bears wanted to ascend up the board and swing a trade with New England for the 38th pick, which leads us to assume that Chicago was seeking a dynamic back for Caleb Williams.
But the Patriots said no, and didn't hesitate to take Henderson at No. 38.
New England also turned down multiple offers from the Houston Texans for the pick.
Henderson will be the next stud offensive weapon for the Patriots
Henderson is already drawing praise from dynasty-era Super Bowl heroes such as James White, another factor that goes to show that the Patriots did the right thing by not saying yes to any trades and snatching Henderson for themselves.
All along, I had the Patriots upgrading their backfield in the draft, given Stevenson's ball security issues and the fact that Gibson isn't an every-down back. To some, New England calling Henderson's name was a surprise, but it most certainly did not play out that way to those in the Patriots' building.
And that could mean scary things for opposing defenses in 2025 and beyond.
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