Eliot Wolf certainly knew what he was doing when he reconstructed the Patriots' roster this offseason. The reputation his father, Ron, built in Green Bay was on constructing a great team via the draft and signing quality free agents.
Two games into the preseason, Wolf continues to look like a genius, as national media pundits throughout the NFL continue to rave about New England's talented crop of rookies.
The duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism accounted for both of the Patriots' touchdowns in their win over Minnesota on Saturday afternoon. Henderson continued to prove he could be the best running back in his rookie class, while Chism made a case for making the team with his performance against the Vikings.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes even took to Bluesky to praise Henderson, noting his ability to play physical and run between the tackles as he did on his touchdown run against Minnesota.
New England's rookie class will be the league's best when the 2025 season concludes
That's a bold prediction to make in mid-August, but the way the Patriots' crop of rookies is buying into Mike Vrabel's system and is continuing to blossom in joint practices and games, it could come to fruition by the end of the season.
Henderson's touchdown run against Minnesota only proves that first point further. We all know what he can do in the open field, which was on display when he put his hands on the ball for the first time against Washington. But the physicality is an important trait.
As great as guys like Henderson and Will Campbell have been, Chism may have all but locked up a roster spot on Saturday. The fact that he came into the league undrafted only sparked his motivation, and the way he moves in the slot has given Patriots' fans memories of Wes Welker and Julian Edelman. Remember, Edelman was a seventh-round draft pick and a college quarterback who was molded into one of the best slot receivers the NFL has ever seen.
The rookies will have to prove their worth once the games start for real in September. But we haven't seen this much praise around a Patriots' rookie class in quite some time, so all signs are trending up for this group.