When TreVeyon Henderson was selected on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, ample delight and anticipation followed.
A big-play back fresh off winning a national title with Ohio State, Henderson only stoked the hope and hype when he returned the opening kickoff of the New England Patriots' preseason 100 yards for a touchdown.
Henderson's first eight official weeks as an NFL running back were rather ho-hum, however, as playing time and production were often difficult to find.
That's changed in an emphatic way over the last two weeks. Henderson scored three total touchdowns to help the New England Patriots to their eighth straight win, a 27-14 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night.
"I think it was a big time for him stepping up, and it's been great for him to get all these reps, to keep getting these reps," Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said of Henderson, who had 93 yards. "He wants to be great."
Greatness was had by Henderson Thursday, as he became just the second Patriots rookie in franchise history to score three times in a game, joining Rob Gronkowski, who was in attendance at the game just days after signing a one-day contract to retire with New England.
Over the past two games in a five-day span, Henderson has five touchdowns, after scoring just one in the previous nine.
"I think it's a journey," Henderson said of his emergence over the past two games. "The NFL comes with a lot of highs and lows. I think the biggest thing is just the preparation going into the week. And with the reps that we have just trying to take advantage of them and continuing to try to grow and get better as a player."
TreVeyon Henderson's rookie season so far
| Weeks 1-9 | Weeks 10-11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Touches per game | 9.7 | 19.5 |
| Rushing YPG | 31.4 | 104.5 |
| Scrimmage YPG | 46.0 | 121.5 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 5 |
Henderson had 7-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back second-quarter drives, the first seeing him bull through a collection of bad Jets tackle attempts, his teammates giving him a push past the goal line. He scored his team's third and final touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Maye in the third quarter to tally the hat trick.
Henderson had a season-high 19 carries on Thursday night, earning some tough yards and a total of 62 on the ground, while adding 31 yards on five receptions.
"I think he's been consistent day in and day out, even those times where he wasn't maybe producing like everybody thought," Pats tight end Hunter Henry said. "But it takes time, too. This is a new offense for him. There are a lot of new intangibles, protection-wise, running the football, there's new schemes. I mean he was in that scheme at Ohio State and was comfortable for years. He's young. He's a rookie, so he's still learning a lot week after week, but obviously he's playing some really good football for us."
Henderson's good fortune as of late has coincided with the misfortune of teammate Rhamondre Stevenson, who's missed the past three games with a toe injury.
At this point, Henderson reducing his role upon Stevenson's return would be puzzling.
The rookie dynamo who garnered so much excitement before the season has finally started to bring it to fruition.
Continuing to learn the offense, build up his reps and his touches, it's added up to plenty of success over just two games. Meanwhile, the Patriots have clinched the club's first winning season since 2021 with six games still left to play.
"I just always try to work on different aspects of my game," Henderson said. "When I'm running the ball, when I'm blocking, running routes out of the backfield, whatever it is. And I'm always studying other guys, as well, other backs in the league, just trying to pick things from their game. So, I'm always trying to learn and grow as a player."
The 38th pick of the '25 draft is finding his footing and running strong, right along with the Pats.
