FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Maye-based investment: When Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey reflects on running back TreVeyon Henderson's college career, he picks out two plays.
"His first big play was his freshman year [2021], C.J. Stroud's first career start, and we're playing Minnesota on a Thursday night in the rain," Bailey told ESPN in a phone interview. "It's a close back-and-forth game and we throw him a little swing pass and he takes it 70 yards for a touchdown. I don't think anyone touched him.
"Then it's almost like a full circle this past season. The exclamation point on his career was with seven seconds left in the first half against Texas, we're tied in the playoffs, and we throw him a little screen pass and he takes it 75 yards to the house. No one touches him.
"Those two plays, for me, bookend his career and show who he is. He's lightning in a bottle. He's going to be the fastest player on the field."
When the Patriots resisted trade offers and selected Henderson in the second round (No. 38) of the NFL draft, they immediately injected their offense with juice and big-play potential that hadn't been on their roster.
It highlighted one of the themes of their overall approach -- investing significant draft capital around second-year quarterback Drake Maye. That includes LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell (first round, No. 4), Washington State receiver Kyle Williams (third round, No. 69) and Georgia center Jared Wilson (third round, No. 95).
The 5-foot-10, 202-pound Henderson also appears to address another area that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf highlighted as a priority -- bringing in high-character rookies.
At Ohio State, that showed up last year when Henderson stayed with the program despite highly touted Mississippi running back Quinshon Judkins joining the Buckeyes in the transfer portal.
"It's hard to talk about Tre without starting with how awesome of a guy he is," said Bailey, who enters his 10th season on Ohio State's staff. "He decided to come back [in 2024] for his senior season, and I don't know if I've ever been around a player who was more coachable going into a final year.
"Most times when guys come back, they have it all figured out and maybe want to have a good personal season or whatnot. But I think he developed between Years 3 and 4 more than I've ever seen.
"He came back with such a growth mindset. He asked to be involved in more special teams, which you don't ever really hear a starting running back do. He learned how to run routes better and that showed up. Then he really became a leader. I think that was around the same time that he got huge into his faith."
Henderson, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season, shed light on his journey and commitment to his faith in a recently produced documentary.
"There's a neat juxtaposition there -- he's an off-the-charts man of Christ, literally holding baptism services and preaching in the local community, and then he steps between those white lines and he'll rip your face off. His pass protection jumps off the screen, how violent he is," Bailey said.
Bailey also shared how Henderson's 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown against Texas came to life behind the scenes.
"We didn't call that screen pass one time all year. But every Tuesday we had a 10-minute screen period where we worked on it," he said. "It shows you how he's so detailed. A great practice player. And that play took us to the national championship game."
Now the Patriots hope it takes them, and specifically Maye, to greater heights.
2. Ohio State ties: First-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel played and later coached at Ohio State, and his top aide John "Stretch" Streicher is also a Buckeye alum, so it's somewhat of a surprise that Henderson is just the second OSU player to be drafted by a Vrabel-coached team. Offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere (2022 third round, Titans) is the other. Patriots director of college scouting Camren Williams (son of former Patriots defensive lineman Brent Williams) also played at Ohio State.
On a related note, Ohio State has now had 14 running backs selected in the first two rounds in the common draft era (since 1967), passing Alabama and Penn State for the most by any college (13 each).
3. WR dynamics: The Patriots hosted receiver Kyle Williams, their third-round pick from Washington State, on a visit at Gillette Stadium leading into the draft. In addition to his speed and knack for making plays down the field, Wolf said, "He has a great personality and we're excited about what he's going to add from that perspective."
After 2024 draft picks Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round) were knocked back by adversity at times in rocky rookie seasons, the Patriots' approach to alter the dynamic of the receiver room -- which also includes veteran free-agent signings Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins -- this offseason has been notable.
Diggs (return from a torn ACL), Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Williams top the projected depth chart, with veteran Kendrick Bourne, third-year player Kayshon Boutte, Polk (return from offseason shoulder surgery) and Baker among those who will vie for a role.
"Obviously Stefon's going to be limited as we move through the spring here, so we're still going to give those guys as many opportunities as we can," Wolf said.
4. Tracking Judon pick: The Patriots turned the third-round pick (No. 77) they acquired from the Falcons last August for linebacker Matthew Judon into a trade chip that resulted in them twice moving down (from 77 to 85, then 85 to 95) before selecting Georgia center Jared Wilson.
According to a team source, Wilson would have been a top consideration to pick at 77, but they still landed him 18 spots later and picked up a 2025 fifth-rounder (from Carolina) and 2026 fourth-rounder (from Kansas City) in some solid maneuvering considering Wilson was rated 45th on ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board.
The Patriots, coming off a larger draft class this year, are also stocked with 10 picks in next year's draft, with multiple selections in the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds.
5. Miami heat: The Patriots became the first team to draft a kicker when they selected Miami's Andres Borregales in the sixth round (No. 182). Borregales, who was 18 of 19 on field goals last season and 62 of 62 on PATs, knows coming to New England comes with an obvious question. "A lot of people think that me being from Miami, I can't handle the cold," he said. "I think I can prove people wrong about that."
6. QB depth questionable? After trading Joe Milton III and a seventh-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick, the Patriots voluntarily thinned their depth chart behind Maye and then didn't replenish it in the draft.
In his wrap-up draft news conference, Wolf said the Patriots plan to bring in at least one undrafted quarterback, but the question remains if they have left themselves vulnerable at the game's most important position with Maye and veteran Joshua Dobbs as the No. 2. Maye visited the concussion tent in two games last season.
The University of Louisiana announced that quarterback Ben Wooldridge was expected to join the Patriots.
7. McDaniels' insight: Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a featured guest at the team's draft party Thursday, and he received a loud cheer from the 1,700 fans in attendance.
On how it feels to return to the franchise: "I'm home."
On a year out of football: "I had a lot of time, for the first time in my life. I spent a lot of time being a dad. I took my girls to school and just tried to do some of those things that you can miss as a coach on a daily basis. And also had an opportunity to reflect on certain things I've experienced in my coaching career. I think you're going to get the best version of me going forward."
On Maye: "He's a special kid. I had an opportunity the last couple weeks to get in the meeting room and start to teach our system and our philosophy. He learns really easily and is very smart. He has a very high capacity. I'm so impressed with the human being he is and excited for Monday when we actually get on the grass and start doing football."
8. Patriots brain trust: With Vrabel answering questions from reporters after Day 1 of the draft, Wolf doing so on Day 2 and 3, and director of player personnel Ryan Cowden checking after the fifth round, it was the first snapshot of the Patriots' revamped brain trust. The NFL's media policy states that teams must make their No. 1 and 2 personnel staffers available to reporters between the combine and through the week following the draft, which sparked Cowden's addition.
9. They said it: "When I walked onto the practice field in 2009, I could only dream of the chance to join the ranks of the Patriots HOF, and being nominated alongside two Patriot greats in Adam and Logan makes it even more special. Looking to forward to making that drive down Route 1 very soon to see all of Pats Nation. Foxboro Forever." -- Julian Edelman, on being named a finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame alongside Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins, with fan voting continuing through end of the month
10. Did You Know: Campbell is the first LSU player selected by the Patriots in the first round in the common draft era. In total, the Patriots have drafted 15 players from LSU. The previous highest-drafted LSU alums by the team were RB Kevin Faulk (1999, No. 46), QB Tommy Hodson (1990, No. 59), DL Marquise Hill (2004, No. 63) and RB Stevan Ridley (2011, No. 73).
