Patriots passed on major draft opportunity, and it reveals just how invested they are in one specific offensive addition

When the New England Patriots were on the clock with the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there were a few other teams who were interested in trading up. 

All of this was documented in the first episode of “Forged in Foxborough,” which goes behind-the-scenes throughout the Mike Vrabel's first days along with the entire pre-draft process and then ended with the big event.

The Chicago Bears were specifically named, wanting to give the Patriots the 39th overall pick along with a seventh round pick; however their offer was denied. 

Another team offered the 58th and 79th overall picks along with a 2026 third-round pick for their 38th overall. That is believed to be from the Houston Texans. 

The Patriots draft room thought about it for a bit. 

However, it's clear that New England didn't want to risk losing out on Henderson, who was clearly on the Bears radar. Instead, Chicago selected Missouri WR Luther Burden III with the 39th overall pick. 

Henderson is an explosive player who is viewed as a possible three-down back. Specifically, when asked what he brings to the table after being drafted, the running back didn't hold back. 

"I'm fast, I'm explosive, I'm good in one-on-one matchups, my receiving ability, my blocking," he explained. "I pretty much can do it all."

It was a situation where the Patriots took the best player available, rather than focusing on need. Plus, given what happened in the run game last season, a young player could help the room immensely.  

And the best part of Henderson joining the Patriots was that even he wasn't truly expecting to end up with New England. And that's because he didn't have much communication with them leading up to the weekend.

"I think I only did one Zoom meeting with the running backs coach," Henderson told reporters after being drafted. "So, other than that, honestly I had no clue that New England was going to be the spot.

"It was definitely a surprise."

So, was it a good surprise or a bad surprise? Only time will tell.