Eliot Wolf admits Patriots had war room debate over 2nd-round pick, gives evaluations on all three Day 2 picks (2025)

Patriots

The Patriots wound up selecting Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with the No. 38 overall pick.

By Conor Roche

April 26, 2025

4 minutes to read

After making a consensus selection with the fourth overall pick in the draft, the Patriots’ second-round pick wasn’t as easy of a decision.

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf shared that there was a bit of a disagreement between head coach Mike Vrabel, vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, director of player personnel Matt Groh, and executive Alonzo Highsmith, among others, on who the team should have picked at No. 38 entering Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, one of the players the group debated over was drafted before the Patriots were on the clock, helping to clear the runway to select running back TreVeyon Henderson.

“I think it was a really good step in the right direction just for us working together in our relationship as co-workers because we have to have productive disagreements for this to work,” Wolf said of the internal debate the team had before selecting Henderson. “We can’t just agree on everything; we can’t just acquiesce to each other on something, so I think it was really productive from that standpoint.”

Wolf didn’t share who the other player was that New England was interested in with the 38th overall pick entering the day. However, as the Patriots exclusively picked four offensive players in the first three rounds of the draft, it’s easy to think that it was one of the three offensive players selected in Round 2 before they were on the clock. The Texans took Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the Browns drafted Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins, and the Dolphins traded up to get Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea.

Regardless of who the other player was, though, the Patriots wound up with one of the top running backs in the draft when they took Henderson. The Ohio State product was a productive player for all four seasons he was with the Buckeyes, rushing for 1,016 yards on 7.1 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns last season.

Wolf gave a brief scouting report on Henderson and shared what role he might have in New England.

“Henderson had a great career in high school. He’s a five-star running back coming out of Virginia,” Wolf told reporters. “Continued onto Ohio State, started as a true freshman, played there for four years. Extremely productive player, extremely good speed, pass protection, pass game. Although he’s a little bit undersized, we view him as a three-down back and a really good complement. He’s a threat with the ball in his hands, speed to take at the distance anytime he touches it.”

The Patriots currently have three other running backs rostered (Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Terrell Jennings), so it’s tough to envision Henderson becoming the team’s bell cow as a rookie. But the fact that the team took him early in Round 2 is a likely indicator Henderson will have a big role in 2025.

New England added to its receiver room with its first third-round pick, selecting Washington State’s Kyle Williams with the 69th overall pick. Williams popped at Washington State this past season, recording 70 receptions for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns, but New England also grew to appreciate the wide receiver’s personality during the draft process.

“Williams started his career at UNLV, ended up at Washington State, had a really productive junior year when Cam Ward was quarterback there, and then continued that on this year,” Wolf said. “He’s fast, can play outside and inside, really good with the ball in his hands. For an undersized guy, he’s really tough. He doesn’t shy away from anything. He can block. Had the opportunity to visit with him on his 30 visit here, and he really has a great personality, and we’re excited about what he’s going to add from that perspective.”

With the selection of Williams, the Patriots now have 10 wide receivers rostered. Wolf said that the team doesn’t expect to cut ties with one of the veteran players at the position in the near future, though, so Williams’s ability to play on the inside and outside could help him in the position battle during training camp.

Finally, after multiple trade downs, the Patriots wound up selecting Georgia center Jared Wilson with the 95th overall pick.

“Wilson, just a young, athletic offensive lineman, has center-guard flex, didn’t give up a sack all year this year,” Wolf said. “His athletic ability is really what stands out about him.”

The 2024 season was Wilson’s first as a full-time starter at Georgia. As Wolf mentioned, he didn’t give up a sack and allowed only six pressures all year, per Pro Football Focus. He also wowed at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.84 40. His 9.98 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was the second-best recorded by a center since 1987.

New England signed veteran center Garrett Bradbury to a multi-year deal earlier in the offseason, but that contract includes an out after the 2025 season. However, with the team viewing Wilson as a potential guard, he could also wind up at left guard. Layden Robinson had an uneven rookie season at the position in 2024 while 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange played center after returning from injury late last season.