A five-star prep recruit from Virginia, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson was the No. 1-ranked running back in the country coming out of high school.
The highly coveted Henderson was an immediate contributor for the Buckeyes as a true freshman, going for 1,560 offensive yards and 19 scores en route to a record-breaking season that would earn him Freshman All-American recognition.
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 202 pounds
40 time: 4.43 seconds
The success didn’t end there, though he endured some injury bumps along the way. Henderson, a team captain, earned First-Team All-Big Ten and 2024 Third-Team All-Big Ten honors while splitting time with running back Quinshon Judkins.
Table: RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State (2021-24)
*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)
Pros
- Big play waiting to happen who rattles off chunk plays with regularity — averaged 6.4 yards per carry over his time in college
- Nose for the end zone — a TD every 13.9 offensive touches
- Dual-threat back who fits all systems and schemes but is best in a zone-blocking design
- Capable receiver out of the backfield who can chew up yardage on screens
- Instant access to top gear in the open field
- Widely respected as a selfless, team-first player
- Awesome pass protector for being only average in size — has the hands, anchor, eyes and willingness to endear himself to a coaching staff
- Elusive but more of an angular than twitched-up runner, thanks to a combination of quick feet and subtlety
- Pretty good contact balance for his frame
Cons
- Missed five games in 2022 with a fractured bone and torn ligaments in his left foot and three contests in ’23 with banged-up ribs — not ideal given the question marks about him handling a full-time load in the NFL
- Limited experience in variety of routes run — a wheel route is about as fancy as he gets
- Lacks imagination in the open field
- Could stand to vary his running cadence — doesn’t have much distinction between gears
- Picky, but it would be nice to see more consistency with his patience vs. probing decisions when the line isn’t paving lanes
Fantasy football outlook
Look for a zone-based offense to be Henderson’s best NFL fit, and he has an interesting profile for dynamic coaching staffs to find creative ways to utilize him. He may never get a long-term opportunity to be a full-time back, and that’s probably the best scenario for his fantasy offerings. Think of someone like D’Andre Swift being his floor and Breece Hall being an upper-end of his potential. Some comparisons place him in the same conversation as Jahmyr Gibbs. It’s a stretch, but their skill sets are similar enough to consider it an understandable comp.
Denver makes plenty of sense for him, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Los Angeles Chargers looked his way as a change-of-pace back to Najee Harris. Even after a pair of free-agent signings by Dallas, Henderson remains in play. The Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Commanders all could factor in, too.
Henderson shouldn’t fall out of Round 3, and a high placement in the second isn’t unreasonable.
