It is perhaps beginning to become clear why the Patriots opted to take a running back over a wide receiver when they were on the clock early in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft.

That pick was, of course, TreVeyon Henderson out of Ohio State. The Patriots’ brain trust made that selection when wide receivers Luther Burden, Tre Harris and Jack Bech were all still available. Those three receivers were drafted in the second round before the Patriots took Kyle Williams in the third round.

A bit of a risk for a receiver-needy team? Sure. Yet with each day that Henderson takes the field in Foxboro, the rookie continues to show flashes of being a special player.

“Explosive athlete,” Phil Perry said on the most recent Patriots Talk Podcast. “Every time he touches it, I feel like you notice his burst. It feels like he’s moving at a little different speed than everybody else on the field.”

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Henderson certainly showed that talent at Ohio State, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns in his freshman season back in 2021 and topping the 1,000-yard rushing mark again as a senior. In total, he amassed 3,761 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns in 47 games, while also catching 77 passes for 853 yards and six more scores.

He topped 100 rushing yards in a game nine times, including an absurd 270-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance against Tulsa in September of his freshman season.

And while Rhamondre Stevenson (56 career NFL games) and Antonio Gibson (78 NFL games) may have started camp ahead of Henderson on the depth chart, Perry thinks Henderson has looked like the best back on the roster.

“To me, you’ve gotta try to find ways to get the ball in his hands,” Perry said. “I think he’s their best back right now. I’m already there. I think he’s their best back. You’ve got one guy who fumbles a lot, you’ve got another guy who I think is pretty good and was actually better than Stevenson last year in Antonio Gibson, but I think the most talented guy they have [is Henderson].”

Tom E. Curran referred to Henderson’s obvious athleticism as “one of the elements of dynamism the Patriots have been missing.” Curran also asked Christian Elliss about the rookie, and the linebacker said, “I see nothing but greatness in him.”

Perry did offer one bit of warning about the potential impact Henderson may be allowed to have — or not have — as a rookie.

“Now, he’s smaller. I don’t know if Josh McDaniels is going to be willing to run him between the tackles all that much, because he’s about 200 pounds,” Perry said. “There’s a guy in Detroit right now by the name of Jahmyr Gibbs, who’s built similarly and I think has a similar skill set. And if [Henderson] can make that kind of an impact for you here in New England, that changes your offense.”

Also in this episode:

Breaking down Patriots’ offensive “struggles”

Who has the most at stake against the Commanders?

Is the Kendrick Bourne era coming to an end in New England?