There was a lot of pressure on the Patriots to hit on their draft picks this year after too many underwhelming classes over the last several years. That inevitably became one of Mike Vrabel's primary goals coming to New England, and fortunately, they appear to have made the right decisions with who they selected.
Perhaps the most apparent of all is running back TreVeyon Henderson, who was a shocking second-round pick, as he was not on anyone's radar in connection with the Patriots. However, considering the troubling turnover issue reappearing in Rhamondre Stevenson, it made sense that they would want to add another explosive player to the backfield who could also get involved in the passing game.
Henderson has already grabbed the attention of Patriots fans and has divisional opponents concerned about stopping him over the next few years.
His performance against the Commanders last week, on top of consistently stealing the show at practice, proves Vrabel has given Drake Maye the next franchise great running back, which might be fair to argue they haven't had since James White retired in 2022. But it only took one preseason game for it to be clear that the team has its newest solid weapon in Henderson.
It might not be too early to suggest the Patriots have a new franchise great in one of their most explosive rookies
Throughout the years of the Patriots dynasty, there were countless players who went on to become pillars of the team due to their leadership and production on the field. That was apparent with James White, who won three Super Bowls with the team, and is synonymous with their most legendary win in Super Bowl LI.
He was a significant part to why the Patriots had such a phenomenal backfield for so long, on top of being a utilized part of the passing game for Tom Brady and any other quarterback that was under center.
That could be what Maye will have Henderson, as all the signs point to another superstar in the making, well before he makes his official NFL debut against the Raiders in Week 1. He showed just how explosive he could be during the preseason opener by returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for the score, and was also involved as a receiver before leaving the game.
Fans are already suggesting that Vrabel not have him participate in another preseason game after what we've already seen from him, especially since injuries continue to pile up across the league and there's no reason to risk Henderson's health when he's shown exactly what kind of player he will be for the Patriots offense.
Assuming his performance will only go up from here, there's good reason to believe he will become the face of the team's running back room for the foreseeable future, potentially even leapfrogging Stevenson if he cannot get a handle on securing the football better.