Patriots Reportedly Turned Down Draft-Day Trade Offer From NFC Foe

The New England Patriots surprised some by using the 38th overall pick in last month’s NFL draft on Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson.

But it seems they weren’t the only team eyeing Henderson with that selection.

In fact, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday that an NFC team was looking to move up just one spot, presumably to draft Henderson.

“One draft-day nugget revealed in ‘Forged in Foxborough’ was that the Chicago Bears tried to move up to pick No. 38, offering pick 39 and a seventh-rounder to do so,” Reiss wrote. “The assumption is that they wanted running back TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots declined and took Henderson themselves.”

With the Patriots rejecting the Bears’ offer, Chicago instead drafted Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III at No. 39 overall. How Burden, who had red flags concerning off-the-field issues, pans out with the Bears will require some observation since the Patriots entered the draft in need of an impact wide receiver. The Patriots instead waited until the third round to get their wideout in Washington State’s Kyle Williams.

The very early returns on Henderson have been good so far, with some forecasting the 22-year-old as a coveted three-down back in the NFL. He has a chance to step into a platoon role in New England’s backfield right away.

The Patriots sure thought highly of Henderson because it wasn’t just the Bears they turned down. Reiss noted New England also left another trade package for the 38th pick on the table.

“In a different proposal, possibly from Houston, the Patriots turned down a deal for pick 38 that would have given them 58, 79 and a 2025 third-rounder,” Reiss wrote.

Henderson starred at Ohio State for four seasons and ran for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 27 catches for 284 yards and a score in his final season with the Buckeyes. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared him to Vikings running back Aaron Jones, who caught 51 passes and ran for over 1,100 yards in his first season with Minnesota.

And if the Patriots get Jones-like production out of Henderson, they will probably look smart for passing on those trade offers.