Ever since TreVeyon Henderson came out as a true freshman at Ohio State, he’s been making noise for himself. The five-star recruit running back has seemingly gotten better and better, despite some of his statistics fluctuating over the past couple of seasons. He’s made the most of whatever situation he’s been thrown into, which has usually included a running back by committee. Despite all of that, he’s still projected to be drafted in the second round.
Height: 5 ft – 10 in
Weight: 212 lb
Age: 22
Position: Running Back
College: Ohio State
Draft Eligibility: Declared
College Career Summary:
Henderson has had an intriguing college career. All four years were spent with Ohio State, so he never had a change of scenery. Although, that didn’t matter. As a true freshman, he rushed for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns, immediately proving that he can compete at a high level. The following season saw him play just eight games though, significantly dropping his numbers. In his third year, he played only 10 games, but once again had below 1,000 rush yards. This most recent season saw him pass 1,000 yards again and score 10 plus touchdowns for the third time in four seasons as well. The numbers may have been inconsistent, though they don’t tell the full story here. Injuries have played a factor in those numbers bouncing around, but when he is fully healthy, he is a force to be reckoned with. And just to top it all off, Henderson is a College Football National Champion, a First-Team All-Big Ten member, and a Second-Team All-Big Ten addition.
2024 Season
Games Played: 16
Yards: 1,016 rushing, 284 receiving
Touchdowns: 10 rushing, one receiving
Career Stats:
- 47 games played
- 3,761 rushing yards
- 48 total touchdowns
- 590 rush attempts
- 77 receptions
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- 4 yards per carry throughout his career
- 1 yards per reception throughout his career
- 1 yards per carry in 2024
Strengths:
- Breakaway speed that can create multiple explosive plays
- Solid pass protection fundamentals
- Phenomenal vision when he gets to the second level
- Natural hands out of the backfield as a pass catcher
- Unreal one-step acceleration to reach top speed
- Fantastic balance and lateral agility
Weaknesses:
- Durability worries regarding his injury history
- Isn’t the strongest, doesn’t usually overpower larger defenders
- Can hesitate when unblocked defenders slip through, resulting in negative plays
- Route tree is limited
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
Henderson got to see a ton of high-pressure games and situations throughout his college career with Ohio State. This season especially, with the team marching through the playoffs and winning it all. In the first round, he went up against Tennessee and rushed 10 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns. In the following game against top-ranked Oregon, Henderson had eight runs for 94 yards and two more touchdowns. Then, he took a bit of a backseat against Texas with just six rushes for 42 scoreless yards. Most notably, he had 12 rushes for 49 scoreless yards in the National Championship against Notre Dame, a game that they of course won. The year before, he had 19 rushes for 72 yards in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, a loss to MIZ. All in all, Henderson has been able to show up clutch in multiple big-time performances and doesn’t mind taking a backseat to a hot hand in these situations either. If his number is called upon at a pivotal moment, he isn’t going to shy away from it.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
Similar to the other high-quality running backs entering the draft this season, I believe that Henderson will be drafted somewhere in the late second round. The overall projections for him have him going in that same area, though he could also be taken in an early second round or at some point in the third. He doesn’t have as much hype behind him as other backs like Kaleb Johnson or Omarion Hampton, though he could easily slip ahead of them if a team falls in love with him during the pre-draft process. I do worry about his injury history and overall durability, but we’ve seen teams take a risk on players like that in the past and it has worked out. That might hurt his draft stock though and could also limit his potential from a fantasy football perspective. Henderson’s big play ability makes for an intriguing fantasy option. Unfortunately, he strikes me as a player who will likely operate in a committee wherever he goes, with teams likely not wanting to give him workhorse responsibilities to avoid injury. If you’re interested in him for fantasy, you’re going to have to forfeit some of those extra touches that the top-tier running backs will get, and hope that Henderson’s explosiveness and big-play ability can make up for that absence.
Now, with all of that being said, Henderson does have genuine potential as a three-down back. Just because his injury history will likely keep teams from running him into the ground early on in his career, doesn’t mean that he can quickly get a larger touch share if he can prove to stay healthy. When you factor together his ability to make big plays happen, along with his vision at the next level and his improving receiving skills, it’s hard to imagine Henderson falling too far in the draft. He’s the type of player that can fit multiple run schemes as well, mostly due to his speed and acceleration. If you ever wanted a definition of what the running back position is turning into at the professional level, look no further than Henderson. He has that dynamic explosiveness that teams want these days, and there are a ton of teams that desperately need playmakers at the running back position. Henderson has the potential to be a game-changer at the next level, he’ll just need to stay healthy enough to prove what he’s capable of. Thankfully, he did play all of the 2024 season including Ohio State’s playoff run, which gives me hope that his durability isn’t in question too much.