TreVeyon Henderson’s rookie season among Patriots’ best since 2000 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots selected running back TreVeyon Henderson with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with the hope that he’d bring the explosiveness we saw from him at Ohio State to the pro level.
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So far, he has done that and much more.
Henderson showed off his big-play ability in Sunday’s Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills with a pair of monster touchdown runs. He showed his game-breaking speed with a 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Henderson gave the Patriots a brief lead in the fourth quarter with a 65-yard run to the end zone. After running to the right and not finding any open space, he cut back to the left and no one could catch him. He even got a block from his quarterback, Drake Maye.
Henderson now has four touchdown runs of 50-plus yards, tying Saquon Barkley for the most by a rookie since 2000. No other player this season has more than two 50-yard TD runs.
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After a bit of a slow start to the season, Henderson now has 773 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. His 5.4 yards per carry ranks third-best among qualifying players. He also has tallied 34 receptions for 212 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. His eight total touchdowns are tied for the second-most by a rookie this season.
Much of Henderson’s production has come in the last seven games when the coaching staff increased his workload:
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Henderson is on pace for around 1,200 total yards and about 10 touchdowns.
Not too bad for a rookie who has touched the ball 20-plus times in just two games this season.
Henderson needs just 227 rushing yards over the final four games of the season to reach the 1,000-yard milestone. If he gets there, he’ll be the first Patriots rookie running back to achieve that feat since Robert Edwards in 1998.
Henderson also is the favorite at several sportsbooks to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. The last Patriots player to receive that honor was Curtis Martin in 1995.
How does Henderson’s excellent rookie season compare to other first-year offensive players for the Patriots this century? Let’s take a look.
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Henderson currently ranks second among all Patriots rookies since 2000 in rushing yards. He ranks No. 1 in rushing touchdowns and No. 1 in yards per attempt. You have to like his chances of overtaking Sony Michel on this list with three games still to play.
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If you look at Patriots rookie wide receivers and tight ends, no player the team has drafted since 2000 has totaled more than 600 receiving yards in their first season. The most receiving touchdowns by a Patriots rookie wideout or tight end during that span is 10 by Rob Gronkowski in 2010, but no other player had more than six.
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The Patriots have had some good rookie seasons by quarterbacks since 2000, with Mac Jones in 2021 and Drake Maye in 2024 being the best examples. Several offensive linemen have impressed as rookies for the Patriots, too, including Matt Light, Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, Shaq Mason, Logan Mankins, Will Campbell and others.
But when you look at all the skill position rookies for the Patriots in the 21st century, you could make a real case that Henderson’s 2025 campaign is the most impressive, and he still has three more games to accumulate additional stats. The other rookie season that really stands out is Gronkowski catching 42 passes for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2010.
One thing the Patriots have lacked on offense for many years, even going back to the end of the Tom Brady era, was a player at the skill positions with elite playmaking ability.
Henderson is a threat to score on almost any play with his speed, vision and overall athleticism. It gives the offense a new dimension that creates a lot of problems for opposing defenses. The Patriots need Henderson to continue to be a real difference maker if they’re going to make a run in the AFC playoffs.
