When TreVeyon Henderson was initially drafted by the Patriots, he started to draw respect from Super Bowl LI hero James White. White was the ultimate pass-catching weapon out of the backfield during his stellar career in New England, so any praise from White is an ultimate compliment for a Patriots' running back.
However, as OTAs have begun, the Patriots have taken things a step further, and that could mean big things for their rookie out of Ohio State.
The Patriots are reportedly having TreVeyon Henderson observe James White's film
During his career, White was more than just a valuable weapon out of the backfield. He was a security blanket for Tom Brady when nothing was available down the field, which is something Henderson will undoubtedly provide for Drake Maye.
So hearing White reveal on his "Money Down" podcast that the rookie is studying his film all but guarantees Josh McDaniels wants to replicate the Super Bowl heroes' production with this year's roster.
The #Patriots are having rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson study James White’s film.
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) May 20, 2025
“I got word from a little birdie that they tapped in to that [film] right now. They tapped into some of that tape right now… you know they gon’ get right.”
Henderson 📈
(🎥 @Themoneydownpod) pic.twitter.com/jqPpRQmY6g
When Henderson was drafted, I was on record as saying that he could be a 2.0 version of White in terms of being a home run threat both on the base paths and in the outfield. Josh McDaniels will ultimately find a way to incorporate that into his offense. Experts believe that the Patriots hit a major home run in drafting Henderson, whom teams tried to trade up to the Patriots' 38th pick to draft him.
You could argue that White should have shared the Super Bowl LI MVP trophy with Brady, given his record-setting performance catching the ball that night. If there's any past Patriots player that Henderson should try to emulate his own game after, it's White.
If that happens, that will be great news for a Patriots' offense that is in desperate need of a turbocharge and a home run threat. The more Henderson can learn from watching White's game tapes, the better off New England's offense will be in the long term.