TreVeyon Henderson has yet to play an official NFL down, but the hype around the Patriots' rookie running back is understandably high. His performances in the preseason showed that Henderson is the playmaker that New England's offense has coveted for quite some time.
It has been three decades since there was this much hype over a Patriots' rookie running back, when a young guy named Curtis Martin posted 102 yards in his NFL debut - a win over Bill Belichick's Cleveland Browns - and even though Martin played in New England only three seasons, his 3,799 yards rushing ranks him fourth in franchise history.
Like Henderson, there was a lot of hype around Martin coming out of college, although injuries derailed his final season at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Patriots were able to steal him in the third round.
After the Jets poached Martin from the Patriots, Robert Edwards appeared to be the next great Patriots' back before a catastrophic injury at the Pro Bowl derailed his career. Henderson should hope for the long-term success of Martin and hope that all of it occurs in New England.
TreVeyon Henderson will be the most exciting Patriots' rookie since Curtis Martin
Henderson set the tone for what he can do in a Patriots' uniform the first time he touched the ball in a preseason game, returning a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. He's arguably the biggest headline - sorry Will Campbell - of a talented New England rookie class pieced together by Eliot Wolf.
Will he be the most exciting Patriots' rookie since Martin in 1995? All signs point to yes.
By no means are we comparing Henderson to a guy who finished his career with 14,000-plus yards rushing and subsequently was enshrined in the Hall of Fame, but guys like Henderson will make Drake Maye's life much easier this season.
The slight difference between Henderson and Martin lies in their passing game. Martin wasn't really a pass-catching threat, while Henderson can catch the ball out of the backfield, line up at wide receiver, and pick up blitzes.
We shouldn't put the cart before the horse in terms of Henderson because again, he has yet to play an NFL down, but Josh McDaniels will find ways to assure Henderson is a big part of the Patriots' offense. When it's all said and done, he'll be in the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation.