NFL Exec Says Some Coaches Ranked Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson over Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty was the headline running back for the 2025 NFL draft and ended up going No. 6 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, but some in the NFL apparently believe the New England Patriots may have landed the best player at the position in the second round with the 38th overall pick.

"Have you seen clips of that back pass-blocking?" an NFL executive said of TreVeyon Henderson, per Mike Sando of The Athletic. "He stones them! There are coaches who liked him better than the Boise State guy (Jeanty) for his pass blocking and pass receiving ability."

Henderson is, without question, a dominant pass-blocker for the running back position.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department called him an "absolute stud in pass protection" who blocks "with pride and aggression" in its predraft scouting report, and that helped keep the pocket clean for Ohio State's Will Howard as the Buckeyes went on to win the College Football Playoff national championship.

Henderson did far more than just block, though, and ran for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with 284 receiving yards despite sharing the backfield with fellow second-round pick Quinshon Judkins.

New England landed someone who can transform its running back room right away and help young quarterback Drake Maye take strides in the coming seasons because of the pass protection and overall skill set he brings to the table.

Still, Jeanty turned in one of the best college football seasons of all-time for the running back position and fell just short of Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record of 2,628 rushing yards from 1988.

The Boise State product led his team to the CFP behind 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. He likely would have won the award in plenty of other years, but Colorado's Travis Hunter thrived on both sides of the ball as a wide receiver and cornerback.

Jeanty figures to be a focal point of the Raiders' offense and could challenge for Rookie of the Year.

Perhaps he will be battling with Henderson if they both live up to their potential.