It’ll be a fight for playing time early, as Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson (above) figures to split carries with incumbents Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
It’ll be a fight for playing time early, as Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson (above) figures to split carries with incumbents Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — You really want to know why TreVeyon Henderson was so appealing to the Patriots with the 38th overall pick in the NFL Draft? Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn says go back to last season.
But click past the electric 75-yard touchdown reception against Texas late in the first half of the Cotton Bowl. And forget about the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
Instead, rewatch the season opener against Akron. Specifically, one play where Henderson didn’t touch the football.
On a third and 8 in the second quarter, Zips linebacker Melvin Spriggs was flying up the middle ready to unload on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard. But the 5-foot-10-inch, 202-pound Henderson stepped forward, knocked Spriggs off his feet, and allowed Howard to complete a pass for a first down.
On the CBS broadcast, analyst Gary Danielson marveled at Henderson’s block.
“Every NFL team will see that play and go, ‘He can do that, too?’ ” he said.
It was the sort of hit that revealed Henderson to be a well-rounded player, more than just a dynamic runner. The home run ability is special (7.1 yards per carry last year, 3,761 rushing yards in four seasons) and the ball security is extraordinary (in 667 touches in college, he didn’t lose a fumble).
But his willingness to be the last man standing between a linebacker and the quarterback is rare.
“I think any running back coming into our league, the hardest thing for them is pass protection. All of them have to learn,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. “I will say this, I thought Henderson at Ohio State might have been as good a pass-protection back as I’ve seen come out of college.”
“He’s the best pass-protecting back, maybe in the last decade,” NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.
Those who know Henderson say he’s all that and more.
“He’s an awesome young man,” Locklyn said. “I don’t think the Patriots have had a back like him in a long time.”
In 667 touches in college, Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson didn’t lose a single fumble.
In 667 touches in college, Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson didn’t lose a single fumble.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
‘A folk hero’
In 13 seasons with the Patriots, running back Kevin Faulk mastered the art of keeping Tom Brady clean, routinely decleating any linebacker foolish enough to challenge his territory.
“It takes a lot of work. Trust me. A lot of work,” Faulk said. “But you get to that point with confidence in your play, the coaching staff, the coaches working with the players, understanding the technique and footwork and everything else that goes into it.
“At the end of the day, it’s about finding a level of confidence that you can be the last guy back there.”
Henderson first honed his craft in Hopewell, Va. The son of Lakeesha Hayes-Winfield, he jumped straight from middle school football to a state championship roster as a high school freshman.
High school coach Ricky Irby said he first knew Henderson was destined for greatness as a sophomore when he moved him from running back to wildcat quarterback the week their starting signal-caller went down before a game against rival Dinwiddie.
“The first time we put him back there, it was a 0-0 game, and the first time he ran it, he went 80 yards for a touchdown,” Irby said. “He ended the game with an interception of the other team.”
It was part of a legendary high school career that saw Henderson finish with over 4,000 rushing yards, 50 touchdowns, and a pair of state titles. (Henderson didn’t play as a senior because Virginia moved football to the spring, and he already had enrolled at Ohio State.)
“He turned into a folk hero,” Irby said of Henderson, who would appear as a featured guest at supermarket openings as a high schooler. “He did so much for our community. He’s such a great ambassador, and someone everybody in our town loves.”
TreVeyon Henderson's high school coach, Ricky Irby, said of the running back, "He did so much for our community. He's such a great ambassador, and someone everybody in our town loves.”
TreVeyon Henderson's high school coach, Ricky Irby, said of the running back, "He did so much for our community. He's such a great ambassador, and someone everybody in our town loves.”Courtesy Ricky Irby
Henderson chose Ohio State after a recruiting battle that included Locklyn trying to woo him to Florida State (where he was an assistant at the time) and Faulk pitching LSU.
“It was a joy to recruit him and get to build a relationship with him,” said Faulk. “He’s really grown into a great football player.”
With the Buckeyes, in addition to showing great speed, Henderson became a vital pass blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, dating to 2021, Henderson yielded just one quarterback hit and nine hurries as a blocker while at Ohio State.
What was his secret? Faulk credits a combination of footwork, hand placement, timing, and toughness.
“Different guys will have different approaches and timing, and how do they react to certain defenders,” he said. “But if you can combine it all, it’s like clockwork. [That] developed at Ohio State, the coaches there, and competing against some of the best players every day in practice helped me out a lot. That’s something I continue to work at, and bring on to the lead. I know that’s very important as a running back, and so that’s something that I’ve got to definitely continue to work at, and make sure I’m staying on top of.”
He also became more outspoken in his faith, something that grew out of a foot injury he suffered against Notre Dame in 2023. He started displaying Bible verses on his eye black. He helped lead a sizable baptism on campus last summer. And he celebrated touchdowns by using sign language to say, “Jesus Loves You.”
It drew the ire of some, who were uneasy about the mix of faith and football. But those who know Henderson say the support he found in the church helped make him the man he is today.
“Trey went through some tough times at Ohio State,” said Irby. “He started to lean on that faith more and more, and ultimately became very faith-based. That’s something that really grew when he was at OSU.”
TreVeyon Henderson's commitment to giving back included working at football camps during the summer while at Ohio State.
TreVeyon Henderson's commitment to giving back included working at football camps during the summer while at Ohio State.Courtesy of Edward Brown
‘We’re all Patriots fans now’
With the Patriots on the clock at the start of the second round, there was some debate regarding the 38th pick. According to one source, New England was eyeing Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea as a possibility. But the conversation ended when the Dolphins traded up to No. 37 and took the offensive lineman.
Several people close to him maintain that the Commanders, Cowboys, and the Broncos did extension pre-draft work on Henderson. Locklyn was convinced Henderson would end up in Denver, but ultimately Henderson was the fourth running back off the board, to the Patriots.
“[Henderson is] a really good pass protector,” said Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel. “He can run routes, he can catch the football, but he can also run inside. He’s not a grinder, between-the-tackles power runner, but he has good vision. He hits the hole hard. He has good feet and obviously has the speed to run outside, so we just feel like he has that toughness and versatility.”
It’ll be a fight for playing time early, as Henderson figures to split carries with incumbents Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. But for an offense that struggled to protect Drake Maye last season, Henderson’s willingness to step into traffic to protect the quarterback is welcome. If he can re-create the physicality he flashed for the Buckeyes — and mix in some of that explosive speed — he’ll see the field on a regular basis for the Patriots.
And that’ll make a lot of new Patriots fans awfully happy.
“The whole town here, we might as well be in Massachusetts,” Irby said. “We’re all Patriots fans now.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.