2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Treveyon Henderson

Henderson completed every test at the NFL Combine except the agility test. He scored an excellent relative athletic score of 9.45 out of 10, which can still change as official results finalize and pro days occur.

Treveyon Henderson Background:

Coming out of high school in Hopewell, Virginia, Treveyon Henderson was a five-star recruit and the country's #1 running back and #11 overall recruit. After high school, he could have chosen almost any Power 5 program, ultimately deciding on Ohio State University. As a true freshman, Henderson started his true freshman season as a reserve before breaking out in a big way. In the third game of the season against Tulsa, Henderson broke Archie Griffin's freshman single-game rushing record with 277 yards on just 24 carries. He finished his first collegiate season with over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage, breaking Maurice Clarett's freshman record for touchdowns.

Henderson finished his college career with 3,759 rush yards, 850 receiving yards, 48 touchdowns, and only one fumble across four seasons. While he could never replicate the success of his first year, he did put together substantial numbers in his junior and senior seasons. He racked up numerous accolades in his time with the Buckeyes:

• 2021: Freshman All-American; Second-team All-Big Ten, OSU Scholar-Athlete
• 2022: Honorable mention All-Big Ten, Academic All-Big Ten; Missed five games with a foot injury
• 2023: First-team All-Big Ten, OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten
• 2024: Third-team All-Big Ten

Amongst 161 FBS running backs with at least 100 carries in 2024, Henderson had the 11th-best overall PFF grade, the 5th-best rushing grade, and the 14th-best receiving grade. His elusiveness rating of 108.9 ranked 30th, and his yards after contact per attempt ranked 7th.

Strengths:

• Physical Traits: Henderson has excellent burst to explode through rushing lanes and home run hitter speed to finish runs.
• Tone-Setting Style: Henderson is a physical, urgent, downhill runner who keeps his pad level low. He has a good knee bend and impressive contact balance, fearlessly going full speed into contact and fighting for every inch.
• Team Player: A high-IQ football player who understands his role and does little things well.
• Three Down Back: He possesses all the tools to be an every down back.
• Open Field Vision: Understands how to attack and destroy tackling paths in space with his speed and attack angles.
• Passing Downs: He adjusts to misthrows well as a pass catcher and wants all the heat as a blocker, constantly making his presence felt with serious pop and varied punches. As a bonus, he sells play-action fakes exceptionally well.

Weaknesses:

• One Speed Runner: Henderson struggles to play with tempo and allow his blocks to progress. He lacks patience behind the line of scrimmage and rushes his process by running ahead of blockers.
• Smaller Frame: His size limits his ability to add yards after contact despite the high effort and rugged running style.
• Straight-line runner: Stiff hips limit his ability to bend his path and make people miss in the open field. He has an instant accelerator but takes time to gear down and alter his path.
• Workload: He has never been an actual every-down back at the collegiate level, always splitting carries and workloads with other talented backs.
• Passing Downs: Most of his route running at the college level was very simple. Henderson gets too focused on destroying defenders as a blocker, leading to reckless whiffs or too much juice on-chip blocks.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Treveyon Henderson:

He has record-breaking production, impressive athletic testing, all the traits to be an every-down back, and a high football IQ. Treveyon Henderson checks a lot of boxes and has an extremely high floor. But what about his ceiling?

On tape, I see a player who could fall short of expectations in the NFL due to his running style, vision, and size. I have a lot of faith that he will be a starting-caliber running back at the next level, but I am not sure he will become a Pro Bowl-caliber player. His ability to stay on the field as a runner, receiver, or blocker will significantly help his chances. Still, he needs to learn to run with better tempo and patience behind the line of scrimmage to approach his ceiling.

In the long term, I am not worried about the negatives around his blocking or route running. This kid loves football and has the IQ and athletic ability to do what is needed. But I question how much players can improve their vision and instinct to drop the pads and drive. Henderson is overzealous to get downhill, and I question whether he has the frame to play that way in the NFL. Those questions won't prevent him from becoming a key contributor to a team's success, and he should walk into the NFL as a capable starter.

For the Bears, I would consider Henderson at pick 72. Based on recent big boards and NFL Combine results, it seems unlikely that he will last that long. Henderson's burst and speed would be appealing in Ben Johnson's gap run scheme, but I don't see the value in him for the top 50. If the Bears select a running back in the first or second round, I hope they choose a more dynamic and creative runner. He will be a good pro and a teammate wherever he ends up, but a top-50 running back pick should be a difference-maker who consistently eludes defenders and gains more yards than were blocked. I’m not convinced that Henderson can provide that ability, while there should be other running backs available throughout day two who can.

Pro Comp: Lamar Miller