TreVeyon Henderson NFL Draft 2025 profile: Full scouting report, pro comp, future outlook for Ohio State RB

Born a little more than a week before Halloween in 2002, TreVeyon Henderson was one of three of Lakeesha Hayes-Winfield’s sons in Hopewell, Virginia, just outside of Richmond. Hayes-Winfield was protective of her children, not even letting them walk to friends’ houses by themselves because their neighborhood wasn’t particularly safe. To further safeguard her kids from getting into trouble, she enrolled them into sports at young ages. Soccer came first, then basketball, then football, which Henderson didn’t really gravitate toward until he put on pads.

But Henderson became a community staple playing rec ball and then playing JV football for Carter G. Woodson Middle School. Soon, Henderson started getting compared by his family to Albert “Airplane” Harris, his maternal grandfather who had “jets” on the field to race past people while playing at Hopewell High School.

Sure enough, Henderson started doing the exact same thing at Hopewell. He played wideout as a freshman (his older brother played running back), then moved a little more to RB as a sophomore (30 carries, 312 yards, five touchdowns) before completely dominating as a junior in 2019 as a runner and occasional Wildcat QB, gaining 2,424 rush yards on 198 carries with a preposterous 45 touchdowns in 15 games He also caught five touchdowns and swiped three interceptions at defensive back. He was the main reason why Hopewell went undefeated and won a state title in 2019, his second championship with the Blue Devils. He also ran track. His senior season was scrapped due to Covid.

Henderson was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 RB recruit in the country by 247Sports. It would be easier to name the schools that didn’t offer Henderson a chance to play for them than to name those that did. However, it’s notable that current NFL assistants Jay Harbaugh (Seahawks), Dre Bly (Jets) and Brian Niedermeyer (Broncos) all recruited Henderson out of high school. But it was Ohio State where he felt the most comfortable even though he couldn’t visit campus during Covid. During his time there he was coached for at least one season by current NFL coaches Chip Kelly (Raiders) and Justin Frye (Cardinals).

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TreVeyon Henderson NFL Draft profile

• Age as of Week 1: 22 years old (23 in October)
• Height: 5-foot-10 ⅛
• Weight: 202
• Hand size: 9 ½ inches
• Comparable body-type to: early-career Marshall Faulk

CBS prospect ranking

Position: No. 3 RB | Overall: No. 86

2025 NFL mock draft for Day 2: Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe taken in Round 2; WRs fly off board in Round 3

Chris Trapasso

NFL comparison: Jamaal Charles

Fast and light with good hands, Henderson could be as effective as Jamaal Charles was when he was in his prime. Remember, Charles came into the league with concerns about how much work he could handle and he wound up making significant contributions for the Chiefs in five of his first seven seasons, only seeing 300-plus touches in two of the five. Henderson could get to that point — sooner than Charles did, too. 

TreVeyon Henderson scouting report

Accolades

• 2021: Set school freshman record with 19 total touchdowns (15 rushing and four receiving)
• Career: Three-time All-Big Ten (first team in 2023, second team in 2021 and third team in 2024)

Strengths

• Good burst once he’s handed the ball off the snap. Successfully used hesitations and patience as tools, not as crutches in his game, meaning if he had space he’d immediately race toward it. 
• Excellent vision to not just read his blocks but also peek into the second level and chart a course. Seemed apparent he got approval from his coaches to freelance and improvise on a run if necessary — he typically did follow his blocks but would sometimes peel off.
• Henderson’s overall agility was great in 2024. His cuts were on-point — sometimes subtle, sometimes not but often effective. He played with plenty of wiggle to make defenders miss. Even his lateral agility and speed were attractive as he’d race toward the edges for gains. Henderson also did well stopping his feet and collecting himself quickly to either explode or cut into a new direction.

• Really good burst not only off the snap but anytime he started his feet up, followed generally by very good acceleration and speed. Absolutely had the wheels to out-run defenses — even when he played at a heavier weight in 2023. Recorded at 23.38 miles per hour during his 40-yard dash at the combine. Had at least one run of 40-plus yards in each of four seasons. NFL coaches will fall hard for his top gear.
• Looked a little thicker in 2023 than 2024 but was not shy about dealing with contact either season. Mostly good contact balance, especially for his size in 2024. He’d frequently finish his runs with as much power as he could muster up for maximum gains. Unless a team wants him to play at a lower weight, Henderson should be solid here.
• Natural hands in the passing game even though he wasn’t featured (27 catches in 16 games last year). Definitely was a winner when in space and can easily bring that to an NFL team, which is why it’s not unreasonable to suggest he can be much better at this in the NFL.

• Rare is the rookie who is ready for pass protection assignments in the NFL, but Henderson comes fairly close. He played with big-time fight, getting hands on defenders but wouldn’t always sustain his blocks. And he’s experienced, recording 49 pass protection snaps in 2024, roughly 10% of his offensive snaps (he had a higher rate in 2023). It’s a plus but coaches will have to work with him on it and have an alternative in case Henderson’s size can’t hold up.
• Consistently protected the ball well and had zero fumbles at Ohio State. Also knew enough to knock the ball out of defenders’ hands at the catch point when contested catches didn’t go as planned.
• Slimmed down in 2024, which made a noticeable difference in his elusiveness and agility. He was much better at making guys miss in 2024 compared to 2023.
• High-character person who speaks out on how he used his faith to overcome mental challenges and come back strong from his 2023 foot injury. Straight-A student in high school. 

Concerns

• Henderson is a little undersized compared to the typical lead NFL running back. When he tried to wear more weight he wasn’t as elusive, so there’s a talent and trait issue that could impact his game if a team asked him to add muscle. However, if a team doesn’t mind the lack of bulk on Henderson then they should fall in love with him for everything else he does. It might be tough for him to be a 70% snap, 20-touch running back from week to week.
• Henderson played with physicality, but not with bowl-dudes-over-and-over physicality. Henderson was limited to the strength and weight he carried. He’s not going to gain a lot of yards because of his power, but he will avoid contact.
• Ohio State used Henderson five times on carries inside the fiev-yard line last year (two touchdowns), and seven times total in his last three years (four touchdowns). Teammate Quinshon Judkins had 12 such carries last year and scored on eight of them. Judkins also had three times as many short-yardage carries (one yard to go) anywhere on the field in 2024. Short-yardage opportunities might not be a part of Henderson’s pro future.
• Routes run weren’t anything special — typical running back stuff like flares, chips, options. Henderson showed off a little creativity in his route running on occasion but nothing to enhance his skills here. He also didn’t always do a good job to make himself available as a receiver when a play broke down for his quarterback. There’s room for improvement.
• There is a significant record of recent injuries: He missed five games (and tried to play through others) in 2022 with a pedal fracture and torn ligaments in his foot that required surgery. In 2023 he missed three games because of an ankle/knee injury. 

Bottom line

Henderson has evolved into a speedy, make-you-miss running back with upside tied to third-down development and endurance. No doubt his game will work in the NFL, but for his career to be a huge success, a team will have to commit to using his playing style as a regular component of their offense, not a part-time feature. Today’s NFL is littered with backs like Henderson who get a large share of touches without the heavy snap workload, and any team that takes Henderson with a top-50 pick will likely see him in that mold. If he struggles in such a role, a team could always scale back his reps further and use him as a part-timer. 

TreVeyon Henderson college stats