The Kansas City Chiefs should be in the market for a new running back this offseason. The Chiefs desperately need a playmaking running back who can take advantage of defenses focusing on Patrick Mahomes and the passing attack and help shoulder some of the load of the offense.
It just so happens that the 2025 NFL Draft has one of the better running back classes in recent years, and one of the top options in this class is Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson. While he's not quite on the level of Ashton Jeanty, he's an impressive player all the same.
TreVeyon Henderson - 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Age: 22 (when drafted)
Height: 5-10 (unofficial)
Weight: 2007 lbs. (unofficial)
TreVeyon Henderson's Weaknesses
There are some questions about Henderson's ability to be a featured back at the NFL level. Henderson is listed at 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds. That's not too small to be a featured back, but it is a little small by NFL standards. When you add to that the fact that Henderson missed parts of both the 2022 and 2023 seasons with injuries, it does bring up some questions about his durability.
Henderson was fully healthy and highly productive in his final college season, but if teams are looking to invest even a day two draft pick on a running back, they want to feel confident that they'll be able to get a full workload out of him.
Tthat is the only glaring weakness or concern in Henderson's scouting report. There are a few other areas in which he could improve, but none of them are red flags for taking him as early as the late first round for me. For instance, Henderson isn't a sledgehammer short-yardage runner, but he does do a good job of falling forward for positive yards between the tackles. His contact balance isn't anywhere near Ashton Jeanty's, but it's pretty decent for a back his size. He doesn't have a lot of experience running actual routes in the passing game, but he showed good hands on checkdowns.
TreVeyon Henderson's Strengths
The first thing that jumps off the tape when watching Henderson is his explosiveness. I mentioned in Jeanty's profile that his huge number of big runs were more about his vision and tackle breaking than his pure speed and acceleration, but that's not the case with Henderson. His college tape reminds me of backs like Jamaal Charles and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Now, I wouldn't say he's quite on their level coming into the NFL, but he isn't that far behind where I had Gibbs two years ago. If you remember, Gibbs was seen more as a late-first/early-second round prospect going into the draft and that's about where I have Henderson too (but more on that in a minute).
Henderson also has very good vision. Again, I wouldn't quite put it on Jeanty's level, but he does show the vision and patience needed to find openings and then hit the gas to shoot through the hole. He's one of the few prospects in this class that I feel can be equally successful in a zone or gap scheme because of his combination of outside speed, vision, patience, and explosion through openings. He also has elite ball security with zero career fumbles on 667 offensive touches.
Finally, Henderson might just be the best pass-protecting running back in this draft class. A lot of times you don't see that paired with the homerun hitting speed backs. Often those backs are more focused on making plays than doing the dirty work of blitz pickup. That is not the case with Henderson; if anything he is sometimes too aggressive in attacking defenders and leaving his spot. That can be fixed, but the "want to" is clearly there and the technique, while not perfect, is already good. This is a back who could play on any down from day one in the NFL.
Should the Chiefs consider TreVeyon Henderson in the late first round?
This is a complicated question to answer. If you look at where Henderson currently sits on some big boards, it doesn't point toward him being a smart pick at #31 for Kansas City.Dane Brugler of the Athletic has him at #49. Pro Football Focus has him at #65. Our own Price Carter recently had him at #46 on the Arrowhead Addict 2025 NFL Draft Big Board. Some Chiefs fans would be fundamentally opposed to taking ANY running back at #31, let alone one that many big boards have almost a full round later than that.
Here's the thing: I am convinced those big boards are way off on where Henderson is going to be drafted. Daniel Jeremiah recently mocked Henderson to the Minnesota Vikings at pick #24 and I think that's a lot closer to where he'll be picked than the mid-to-late second round where many currently have him ranked. I mentioned earlier that he has some similarities coming out of college with Jahmyr Gibbs and he ended up getting taken at #12 overall. I don't think Henderson will go that high, but I do think he's a lock for the top 40 picks unless there's some kind of medical red flag.
I also think it's likely that Henderson tests the best of the top five running backs at the NFL Combine and that could lead to a jump in his draft stock. It wouldn't shock me at all if, by the time the draft rolls around, you see him mocked regularly in the late first round. One of the teams that might be a really good fit for Henderson in the late first is the Chiefs.
Henderson fits a lot of what the Chiefs need in a running back. Andy Reid insists on backs being able to pass protect to get on the field, especially in important situations, and Henderson checks that box as well or better than any other RB they may be considering in this class. The fact that he has better vision than Isiah Pacheco with even better big-play upside should make him incredibly appealing to KC. Then when you mix in his reliable hands and ball security, it makes him even more so. The only question for me is if they have medical concerns or think the running back class is deep enough that they can address it in the second or third round.
Should the Chiefs consider TreVeyon Henderson in the first round? Yes, they should. That doesn't mean they take him over anyone else, but he should be on the list of 8-10 likely prospects they should look at with pick #31 (again, assuming they have no injury concerns). His combination of explosive big-play ability mixed with reliability in pass protection and ball security is special and he seems like a great fit for the offense that KC runs.
So what do you think Chiefs fans? Let's say the Chiefs sign a left tackle in free agency and don't have a glaring need they have to fill with pick #31. Would you be okay with TreVeyon Henderson in the late first round? Would you rather they wait and see who is available in the late 2nd or 3rd rounds even if it means the top backs are all off the board? Do you like any of the other top five backs more than Henderson there? I'll have profiles on at least ten more of the top running back prospects in the coming weeks, so if you haven't seen your favorite option yet, stay tuned!