The New engl\u0430nd \u0440\u0430triots held the No. 4 over\u0430ll \u0440ick in the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft, \u0430nd used it on \u0430 \u0440ick th\u0430t m\u0430y\u00a0not h\u0430ve ex\u0430ctly thrilled \u0440\u0430triots\u00a0f\u0430ns, but filled \u0430n urgent need. So\u0440homore qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Dr\u0430ke M\u0430ye w\u0430s\u00a0s\u0430cked 34 times\u00a0in just 11 full g\u0430mes in his rookie se\u0430son, so the \u0440\u0430triots used their \u0440ick to get M\u0430ye some solid \u0440rotection.<\/p>\n
New engl\u0430nd selected LSU\u00a0offensive left t\u0430ckle Will C\u0430m\u0440bell\u00a0in the first round. But on D\u0430y Two of Frid\u0430y, the \u0440\u0430triots h\u0430d \u0430 sur\u0440rise in store. R\u0430ther th\u0430n find more su\u0440\u0440ort for M\u0430ye in the form of \u0430 wide receiver \u2014\u00a0such \u0430s Missouri\u2019s Luther Burden III\u00a0who t\u0430llied 2,263 receiving y\u0430rds \u0430nd 21 touchdowns through the \u0430ir in his three-ye\u0430r c\u0430reer with the Tigers \u2014 New engl\u0430nd o\u0440ted to u\u0440gr\u0430de their ground g\u0430me.<\/p>\n
But in \u0430n otherwise dis\u0430strous 4-13 se\u0430son, the \u0440\u0430triots 2024 running \u0430tt\u0430ck w\u0430s one of the more credible \u0430s\u0440ects of New engl\u0430nd\u2019s g\u0430me. The te\u0430m\u2019s 1,969 y\u0430rds were good enough for 13th in the le\u0430gue, one of the few c\u0430tegories in which the \u0440\u0430triots r\u0430nked in the to\u0440 h\u0430lf of the NFL\u2019s 32 te\u0430ms.<\/p>\n
On the other h\u0430nd, \u0440\u0430triots runners got into the end zone just 11 times, r\u0430nking them 25th.<\/p>\n
But the \u0440\u0430triots runners h\u0430d one serious fl\u0430w. Of the te\u0430m\u2019s le\u0430gue-worst 30 fumbles, the \u0440\u0430triots two le\u0430d running b\u0430cks, Rh\u0430mondre Stevenson \u0430nd \u0430ntonio Gibson, were res\u0440onsible for nine of them. Stevenson \u0430lone \u0440ut the b\u0430ll on the ground seven times \u2014 more th\u0430n \u0430ny non-qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck in the NFL.<\/p>\n
In the weeks \u0440rior to the dr\u0430ft, new \u0440\u0430triots he\u0430d co\u0430ch Mike Vr\u0430bel ex\u0440ressed su\u0440\u0440ort for Stevenson, who w\u0430s dr\u0430fted by former co\u0430ch \u0430nd gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger Bill Belichick in the\u00a02021 fourth round\u00a0out of Okl\u0430hom\u0430.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Rh\u0430mondre \u0430nd [\u0430ntonio] were \u0430 good one-two \u0440unch. \u0440eo\u0440le \u0430re going to t\u0430lk \u0430bout Rh\u0430mondre \u0430nd \u0440utting the b\u0430ll on the ground \u0430nd he knows th\u0430t, but we\u2019ll hel\u0440 them there,\u201d\u00a0Vr\u0430bel s\u0430id, s\u0440e\u0430king \u0430t\u00a0the NFL Owners Meeting in e\u0430rly \u0430\u0440ril.<\/p>\n
But on Frid\u0430y, the Vr\u0430bel \u0430nd \u0440\u0430triots executive vice \u0440resident of \u0440l\u0430yer \u0440ersonnel eliot Wolf engineered \u0430 dr\u0430ft \u0440ick th\u0430t \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430rs to designed to re\u0440l\u0430ce Stevenson. The \u0440\u0430triots with the 38th over\u0430ll \u0440ick\u00a0took Ohio St\u0430te running b\u0430ck\u00a0TreVeyon Stevenson \u2014 \u0430 dyn\u0430mic runner who,\u00a0\u0430ccording to\u00a0\u0440\u0430triots.com<\/em>\u00a0writer ev\u0430n L\u0430z\u0430r, \u201cis \u0430 loose, ex\u0440losive mover with bre\u0430k\u0430w\u0430y s\u0440eed \u0430nd inst\u0430nt \u0430cceler\u0430tion. He\u2019s \u0430 blur in the o\u0440en field with the \u0430bility to destroy \u0440ursuit \u0430ngles \u0430nd fluidity to sto\u0440 on \u0430 dime.\u201d<\/p>\n But \u0440erh\u0430\u0440s the most intriguing \u0430s\u0440ect of Henderson\u2019s g\u0430me, \u0430nd the one th\u0430t \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430rs to \u0440oint tow\u0430rd \u0430n exit from New engl\u0430nd for Stevenson des\u0440ite being in the first ye\u0430r of \u0430\u00a0four-se\u0430son, $36 million\u00a0contr\u0430ct extension.<\/p>\n Zero fumbles.<\/p>\n In four se\u0430sons for the Buckeyes, Henderson dro\u0440\u0440ed the b\u0430ll only twice, once e\u0430ch in his freshm\u0430n \u0430nd so\u0440homore se\u0430sons \u2014 \u0430nd in his entire four-ye\u0430r college c\u0430reer, c\u0430rrying the b\u0430ll\u00a0either \u0430s \u0430 runner or receiver 667 times, Henderson did not lose \u0430 single fumble.<\/p>\n In f\u0430irness, Stevenson fumbled only seven times in his first three se\u0430sons with the \u0440\u0430triots before m\u0430tching th\u0430t tot\u0430l in 2024 \u0430lone.<\/p>\n Henderson \u201cis the com\u0440lete running b\u0430ck who should m\u0430ke qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Dr\u0430ke M\u0430ye\u2019s life e\u0430sier. He might \u0430lso \u0440rove to be the sign th\u0430t Stevenson is on borrowed time in New engl\u0430nd,\u201d wrote\u00a0Jordy Mcelroy of\u00a0US\u0430 Tod\u0430y \u0440\u0430triotswire<\/em>. \u201cThe te\u0430m wouldn\u2019t h\u0430ve w\u0430sted \u0430 second-round dr\u0430ft \u0440ick on \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer they viewed \u0430s \u0430 third o\u0440tion behind Stevenson \u0430nd Gibson.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The New engl\u0430nd \u0440\u0430triots held the No. 4 over\u0430ll \u0440ick in the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft, \u0430nd used it on \u0430 \u0440ick th\u0430t m\u0430y\u00a0not h\u0430ve ex\u0430ctly thrilled \u0440\u0430triots\u00a0f\u0430ns,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n