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Julian Edelman believes this Patriots rookie could be ‘steal of the draft’
"I think that's the kind of guy you needed to draft that becomes part of that nucleus with Drake (Maye)."
Julian Edelman is buying into the hype surrounding Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson.
The former Patriots wide receiver — speaking to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran on the Patriots Talk podcast — said that Henderson’s straight-line speed and playmaking capabilities could have him set for a breakout season in Foxborough.
“TreVeyon Henderson is probably the steal of the draft,” Edelman told Curran on Tuesday. “I think that’s the kind of guy you needed to draft that becomes part of that nucleus with Drake (Maye). That’s how you build your team.
“You build your team through the draft, guys that you want to come in to implement what your identity is,” Edelman added. “Just from hearing coaches speak about him with his maturity, the way he is as a professional, that’s gonna be really good.
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“If he can go out and have production, everyone’s gonna see how he works, how he is as a person on and off the field. It makes the other guys in the locker room like, ‘Man, that’s why he’s doing this.’ So I think that was my biggest takeaway [from training camp]. He could be a really good weapon.”
While plenty of the focus going into training camp revolved around 2025 first-round pick Will Campbell, Henderson is also looking like an immediate impact player for New England — giving the Patriots some much-needed explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball.
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Henderson has scored a pair of touchdowns during his two preseason games against the Commanders and Vikings, headlined by a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown on the first play of his NFL career.
Beyond his natural burst of speed, Henderson’s pass-catching abilities and knack for doling out punishment through fighting off tackles and blocking paints the picture of a do-it-all offensive weapon for 2025 and beyond.
Despite all of the praise that has been heaped on Henderson over the last few weeks, the 2025 second-round pick is trying to stay even-keeled and not get swept up in the hype revolving around him.
“I don’t really pay attention to all the social media stuff,” Henderson said Tuesday. “The biggest thing I know, people praise me now because I have this success. But I feel like it doesn’t come from true love. At the same time, people see me as a football player, so if things come crashing down, I know that love turns into hate. The biggest thing is I keep my eyes on God and focus on what he sees in me … That’s what I keep my focus on.”
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