Commanders Met With ‘Home-Run’ Draft RB ‘Multiple Times’

Getty

A "home run" RB from the 2025 NFL draft class has met with the Washington Commanders "multiple times."

It looks as though the Washington Commanders are zeroing in on their preferred running back from the 2025 NFL draft class. At least based on the “multiple times” they’ve met with a legitimate “home run” threat.

That’s according to ESPN’s John Keim, who revealed the Commanders “have met with Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson multiple times.” Keim has pulled the curtain back to highlight a significant detail about the Commanders’ plans at a position of need.

An explosive offense propped up by the brilliance of 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, and supplemented by star power at wide receiver, needs balance. The kind of balance only provided by a three-down playmaker in the backfield.

Henderson qualifies thanks to a knack for the big play borne from home-run speed. He has all the tools, but the 22-year-old’s best moments for the Buckeyes raise questions about Henderson’s scheme fit in Washington.

TreVeyon Henderson’s Not an ideal Scheme Fit for the Commanders

He’s one of the most gifted and versatile runners in this class, but Henderson may not be an ideal scheme fit for the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Specifically, there’s a difference between the type of runs Kingsbury likes to call and Henderson’s most effective rushing style.

As Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus noted, “Henderson has the most significant gap between how much better he plays on gap runs compared to zone, finishing with a 96.3 career grade on gap plays compared to 85.7 against zone.”

Kingsbury tends to prefer a zone-based rushing scheme. It’s one reason flexible veteran Austin Ekeler chose the Commanders in free agency last offseason.

Of course, Kingsbury and his staff could alter their X’s and O’s for the right player. Henderson could be that player based on plays like this 66-yard touchdown against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, highlighted by ESPN.

Being able to bounce runs to the outside and still turn on the jets to leave a defense trailing makes Henderson special. The 5-foot-10, 208-pounder combines a low centre of gravity with a powerful base and natural acceleration, qualities that engender Henderson with “home run-hitting ability,” according to The 33rd Team’s Kyle Crabbs.

The latter also singled out a pro-ready “passing down profile.” Henderson’s chops as a receiver showed up on this successful wheel route endorsed by Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

Drafting Henderson would give Kingsbury a complete running back combining the pass-catching exploits of Ekeler and the grinding runs of Brian Robinson Jr., who remains a potential trade candidate.

Robinson’s uncertain future is one reason why the Commanders have undertaken a wide-ranging search of a deep and talented class of would-be rookie running backs.

Commanders Studying Multiple Draft RBs

Their quest to upgrade the backfield has prompted the Commanders to run the rule over a true speedster with a fatal flaw. They’ve also met with an MVP from the pre-draft process.

It makes sense for general manager Adam Peters to do all the research he can because things are murky at the position beyond this year. Keim detailed how none of Robinson, Ekeler nor Jeremy McNichols “are signed beyond 2025.”

Every member of this trio remains on the roster for now, but they “faltered down the stretch in 2024,” per Keim, “averaging just 3.1 yards per carry over the last four regular-season games.”

The time is ripe for an infusion of blue-chip talent, something Henderson could provide early in this draft.