‘He looks like a lightning bolt.’ Promising Patriots rookie opens eyes

FOXBOROUGH – TreVeyon Henderson received the kickoff in the south end of Gillette Stadium, right on the goal line.

And then bam. Like a flash of lightning, the rookie was off.

All offseason, Henderson looked like the fastest player on the practice fields in Foxborough. In pads, out of pads – it didn’t matter. This running back moved differently. And the first time he touched the ball in an NFL preseason game, Henderson showed once again he was the fastest among a group of professional athletes.

The Patriots’ second-round pick ran back the opening kickoff 100 yards to jump-start Friday night’s preseason opener against Washington with a touchdown.

That score had everyone inside Gillette Stadium on their feet, teammates included.

“That’s big time, and that’s a hell of a run for that to be your first touch in the league,” Antonio Gibson said. “Shout out to him. That was something special.”

“It was crazy. Exciting. He lit us all up,” added Rhamondre Stevenson. “He had some speed on that one.”

“Man, he’s like a lightning bolt. He saw a crease and knew he was gone,” Drake Maye said. “Pretty cool, the first time he touched the football, it’s a touchdown.”

Henderson’s NFL preseason debut was one to remember.

The 22-year-old played with the starting offense, rotating with Stevenson. In the two drives he played, Henderson looked like an impact player – and one the Patriots could rely on heavily this season.

“This is something as a little kid I’d be dreaming about, to be in this position, to be given this opportunity and so I’m thankful,” Henderson said. “I’m trying my best to take advantage of every opportunity I get. Man, it’s amazing to be here.”

On Friday night, Drake Maye completed 3-of-5 passes for 12 yards before departing to the sideline. All three of those completions went to Henderson. The rookie played a big role in the only scoring drive the starting offense had against the Commanders.

On the first play of the second drive, Maye tossed the football to Henderson on the left side of the field, and once again, his elite speed was evident as he gained 18 yards in the blink of an eye. Henderson was running so fast that Commanders linebacker Dominique Hampton could only grasp at his facemask to get him to the ground. That penalty added 15 yards to the play.

Then, on second-and-7, Maye connected with Henderson on a screen pass, and the running back scampered for 9 yards and a first down. That set up a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line. Three plays later, Maye scored on a 5-yard run.

“He’s explosive, fast. He works hard. He’s smart. He does it all,” Gibson said. “To have somebody on the team like that, it’s always a plus.”

For the Patriots, Henderson’s performance is why the team not only drafted him with the 38th overall pick but opted against trading out of that spot at the top of the second round. After selecting Henderson, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said multiple teams called about their pick, but for them, it wasn’t worth it.

That certainly looks like the right move.

Henderson has the type of game-breaking ability that the Patriots offense has lacked. On top of that, the team has good depth at the running back position with Stevenson and Gibson.

On Friday night, Gibson nearly scored on a kickoff return, running back 62 yards. He was pushed out of bounds on the 29-yard line. That set up the Patriots’ second touchdown of the night. Gibson finished with 26 rushing yards on six carries (4.3 average).

Last year’s starter, Stevenson, led the Patriots with 36 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

“I feel like we all do things a little different and we all pick little things from each other’s games,” Stevenson said, “So I think that’s going to be great for everybody when we get going in the season.”

Last year, Gibson, a former 1,000-yard runner, showed big-play ability. He had a long run of 45 yards, and his longest reception went for 50 yards. Stevenson led the Patriots in rushing with 801 yards to go with seven touchdowns. He’s caught 154 passes over the last four NFL seasons.

Now, by adding Henderson to the equation, the Patriots look like they’ve made life easier for their quarterback.

“I think it’s tough on the defense. They all can make you miss. They can run over you. They can catch balls out of the backfield,” Maye said of the three running backs. “It’s going to be challenging for us on when to use ‘em, how to use ‘em, getting ‘em the ball. Got to get those guys open in space. They’re great football players. See two of them on the kickoff return. I don’t know who they’re going to kick it to. Pretty big ones tonight. Excited to have them beside me.”