It’s a bad year to be a veteran running back on an expiring deal. This year’s running back class in the NFL Draft is solid and TreVeyon Henderson has been playing some of the best football of his long career. From making an immediate impact in his first game as a true freshman to making house calls on throw-away plays in the College Football Playoff, Henderson has the ability to elevate an NFL offense and will make a team very happy.

Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: TreVeyon Henderson

Harold Fannin, Jr. Measurables

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 210 pounds

Background and Accolades

Henderson came to Ohio State as a five-star athlete and the best at his position in the 2021 recruiting class. On his third touch as a Buckeye (first reception) in Week 1 against Minnesota, Henderson took a dump-off 70 yards for a touchdown. In that true freshman season, he started off as RB3 and finished head and shoulders better than any other back with 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns off of 183 rushing attempts. As a receiver, he added 312 yards and four scores off 27 receptions. In his third game, he was given full reigns with a backup quarterback and posted a 277-yard, three-touchdown game. That mark still stands as the third-best single-game rushing performance in Ohio State history.

He entered 2022 as the lead back for the Buckeyes. However, it was not quite as impressive as his freshman season due to a number of nagging injuries. He kicked off the season with a pair of solid performances but ended up only playing in eight games. In total, Henderson recorded just 571 yards and six touchdowns off 107 carries.

In 2023, he performed closer to expectations but was still battling some nagging injuries. He played in 10 games, including the Cotton Bowl, and amassed 926 yards and 11 touchdowns off 156 yards.

As for the 2024 season, Henderson is preparing for the College Football Playoff National Championship as of this publishing. With fellow likely NFL Draftee Quinshon Judkins in the backfield, the two have become a lethal one-two punch and have taken the wear and tear off of one another. In 15 games thus far, Henderson has run for 967 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a critical part of the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl win over Texas in the CFP Semifinals. After the Longhorns tied the game up with seconds until half, Henderson took a basic screen 75 yards to put the Buckeyes up 14-7.

This year and in 2021, Henderson led the Big Ten in yards per carry. A three-time All-Big Ten selection (First-Team in 2023, Second-Team in 2021, Third-Team in 2024), Henderson looks ready to take over a backfield in the NFL.

Strengths:

• Home-run threat, can score from anywhere on the field;
• Can make sudden cuts without losing speed;
• A natural receiver out of the backfield;
• Willing and able pass blocker;
• Powerful runner, hard to bring down because he doesn’t stop moving legs;
• Can diagnose running lanes and turns short gains into chunk plays;
• Impossible to bring down in the open field

Weaknesses:

• Injury history is concerning;
• Has reps where he hesitates in the backfield, waiting too long for lanes to develop;
• No real route tree in the Ohio State offense;
• Needs pass block technique refinement (despite being willing and able)

Best Team Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys

Projected Round: Third Round

TreVeyon Henderson in the NFL

Expecations have been through the roof for Henderson since day one. Even despite the injuries, he’s lived up to the expectations. While sharing the backfield this year, Henderson made impacts in just about every game and Ohio State did a good job of not running him and Judkins into the ground.

While he is not the ground-and-pound Derrick Henry-type of running back, he’s a guy who will excel in an offense that is pass-first and allows him to find running lanes in defenses ready for the pass.

One thing is for certain, Henderson is a home-run threat and can score from anywhere on the field. In his Ohio State career, Henderson has an impressive 22.9 yards-per-touchdown average (14 yards-per-touchdown as the median). In total, he’s scored 43 touchdowns. Three of those were 70+. Five were 60+. Seven were 50+. 11 were 40+. So far.

He is a legitimate weapon in the passing game because he can stick around and pass block. Then, as he slips out to be a check-down/screen, he is a natural receiver who can get chunks of yardage. In the right system, he can make a Jahmyr Gibbs-like impact as a rookie.

He currently projects as a mid-day-two prospect. If he tests well at the Scouting Combine, it would not be surprising to see him rise into the second round to a playoff team.

Main Image: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images