The New England Patriots’ rookie class helped power their unexpected run to Super Bowl LX, and the numbers back that up. Four first-year players - Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle Williams - all finished among the top 15 on offense in total snaps played, including the playoffs, according to Pro Football Focus. On the other side of the ball, fourth-round safety Craig Woodson led the defense in total snaps.
That’s a promising foundation for a team still sorting out its young core. But one recent take on which player matters most for the Patriots going forward landed like a warning sign.
Bleacher Report’s Kris Knox picked Henderson as New England’s most promising young building block entering 2026, and the logic was simple enough. Henderson flashed all season, made several memorable plays, and put up the kind of raw production that made the early Jahmyr Gibbs comparisons look reasonable on paper.
He averaged more than 5 yards per carry, cleared 1,000 all-purpose yards, and finished in double digits in touchdowns. For a second-round rookie, that’s a debut any team would take.
Still, the idea that Henderson is the Patriots’ top young pillar feels like a stretch when Campbell exists. New England used the No. 4 overall pick on the left tackle a year ago, and if the team is serious about protecting its future, that’s the player who should sit at the center of the conversation.
Drake Maye is the obvious face of the rebuild under Mike Vrabel, but he wasn’t part of Bleacher Report’s exercise after being named second-team All-Pro in 2025. So Knox went with Henderson, leaning on the back’s explosiveness and the possibility that a healthier offensive line could unlock even more.
“While Henderson wasn't as efficient in the postseason (2.5 YPC)," Knox wrote, "it's worth noting that New England's offensive line also struggled against playoff competition. If new additions Alijah Vera-Tucker and Caleb Lomu can boost New England's line, Henderson should be just as electric, if not more so, in Year 2.”
The problem for the Patriots is that the deeper numbers on Henderson are a lot less flattering than the highlight reel. Per SumerSports, he posted a 42 percent rushing success rate in 2025, which ranked 48th among NFL running backs.
Too often, he had trouble finding room and didn’t show much wiggle at the line of scrimmage. He also left questions in the passing game, where protection became an issue at times.
From December on, he caught 10 passes across eight games, including the playoffs.
That doesn’t make him a lost cause. Far from it.
If Henderson sharpens those rough edges, there’s a real breakout path here. But right now, he’s headed into training camp as a complementary piece behind Rhamondre Stevenson, who, even with three lost fumbles last season, was still New England’s most efficient back by a wide margin.
And that’s the bigger point. The Patriots shouldn’t want their most promising young building block to be a running back in the first place.
They need stability in front of Maye, not another flash-and-dash answer in the backfield. That’s why Campbell matters so much more.
Campbell was solid before his knee injury and turned in a strong showing in the Patriots’ wild-card win over the Chargers. His play dipped as the playoffs went on, but he was a rookie dealing with less than full health at one of football’s most demanding positions. There’s also no reason to ignore what the Patriots just did in the first round of the draft.
Maye needs an enforcer who can keep him upright on Sundays. Campbell fits that job far better than Henderson, and New England can only hope that Bleacher Report missed the mark here.
The Patriots should be able to find running backs for Maye. Protecting him is the real priority.
In Other News...
Patriots May Have No Choice But To Make This Tight End Trade
The Patriots went into the offseason knowing tight end was a position they had to address, and the plan briefly looked manageable after they added Eli Raridon for depth. Julian Hills injury changed the equation, though, and it left New England in the market for a young veteran who could help sooner rather than later as the roster takes shape after the Super Bowl loss.
One possible path is a trade, especially if a tight end sitting behind a star on another depth chart becomes available. The Raiders have reasons to listen, and New England has the kind of draft capital and young receiver talent that could help grease a deal, but the real question is whether the Patriots are willing to pay enough to get the kind of player they need at a spot that suddenly feels a lot more urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Will Campbell Just Answered A Huge Patriots Fear
Will Campbell spent the offseason around some of the leagues better offensive linemen, working with Lane Johnson, Dion Dawkins and Tyler Guyton as he tries to sharpen the parts of his game that were exposed during a rocky rookie year. For a Patriots team that used the No. 4 overall pick on him, the focus has been on helping Campbell settle in, clean up the rough edges and look more like the player they believed they were getting when they made him their left tackle of the future.
The bigger backdrop is what happened in Super Bowl LX, where Campbells performance only added to the scrutiny that had started building late in the season. There had been plenty of noise about whether his best long-term fit might be somewhere else on the line, but New England has made clear it views him as a tackle and expects him to keep working on the blindside job the Patriots drafted him to handle. [Read more 🡒]
CBS Just Gave Drake Maye Another Patriots Fans Wont Forget
CBS Sports latest quarterback rankings gave Drake Maye a respectable but still eye-catching spot in the middle of the pack, placing the Patriots young passer 16th among NFL starters and in the outlets Borderline Stars tier. For a player who led the league in completion percentage and passer rating while helping push New England to the Super Bowl, it is a reminder that the national conversation has not quite caught up to the production.
The comparison at the top of the list only sharpens the debate, with Matthew Stafford landing above Maye despite the Patriots quarterbacks standout season. CBS pointed to the difference in surrounding conditions, noting Maye took more sacks and worked with a less effective receiving corps than Stafford did, and that context will matter again as New England keeps trying to build a more complete offense around him. [Read more 🡒]