Patriots Day 2 draft pick could force $11 million veteran out of role

The New England Patriots' offseason was highlighted by aggressively filling holes in their roster. One of their Day 2 draft picks could figure into their plans quickly.

The Patriots spent the fourth overall pick on Will Campbell and secured a starting protector for Drake Maye's blind side. However, in the second round, they made a surprising selection and took running back TreVeyon Henderson. FanSided's Sara Marshall suggested that the move could end up threatening Antonio Gibson's role on the team.

"It was an unexpected move since they currently roster Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson, but some of the issues with their performance during the 2024 season made it easy for Vrabel and Wolf to take an explosive and dynamic player like Henderson," wrote Marshall. "His arrival puts more pressure on Gibson to have a great offseason, and it would be fair to argue that Stevenson will also deal with the same future."

Henderson is an explosive player out of the backfield and brings a skill set similar to Gibson's. Henderson had 1,300 scrimmage yards last season and 11 total touchdowns. In four seasons at Ohio State, Henderson had 3,761 rushing yards, 77 receptions and 853 receiving yards.

Gibson's ability as a receiver has kept him in the league, but Henderson could be just as good a pass catcher for Maye. The Patriots signed Gibson to a three-year, $11.25 million deal last offseason. He had 538 rushing yards and 206 receiving yards in a shared backfield. Gibson has over 4,600 scrimmage yards in his NFL career.

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"Henderson's play style is projected to complement the veterans well, so making the team won't necessarily mean one needs to be cut," wrote Marshall. "But if Gibson doesn't live up to his contract again or Stevenson continues to struggle with ball security, it likely won't take long for Henderson to take their spot."

Although Henderson could take over as the lead back, this would likely not threaten Stevenson's spot on the roster as much as Gibson's.

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