The New England Patriots were very proactive in making several upgrades on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. The Patriots used their first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on the offense, taking left tackle Will Campbell in the first round, running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round and wide receiver Kyle Williams in round three.
It’s the selection of Henderson that sticks out for one current Patriots player in particular. Rhamondre Stevenson is coming off a year in whcih he averaged less than four yards per carry, leaving the Patriots in need of a potential upgrade at the position.
Because of his down season, and New England’s selection of Henderson, Pro Football Focus labeled Stevenson as one of their players with the most to prove this season.
“Stevenson started his career well with the Patriots, earning PFF overall grades of 81.1 and 81.3 in his first two years, both of which ranked 10th at the position,” Zoltán Buday writes. “He also averaged 4.6 yards per carry as a rookie and 5.0 yards per carry in his second season. However, Stevenson has been unable to get back to that level in the two seasons since then. The Oklahoma product averaged just 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 and 3.9 yards per carry in 2024.”
Buday adds that Stevenson has to clean up his fumble issue in order to make that progress in 2025.
“This past season, he earned a 69.6 PFF overall grade, which ranked just 35th among 59 qualifying running backs — largely due to his seven fumbles,” Buday writes. “Stevenson should have a better season just by eliminating fumbles. However, having to run behind arguably the worst offensive line in 2024 certainly did not help. A strengthened offensive line in front of him and a better passing offense led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye could certainly contribute to Stevenson once again playing at his best in 2025.”
If Stevenson is able to get back to his 2022 form and New England also sees good production from Henderson, they could have one of the top ground attacks in the NFL, which would take a lot off the plate of Drake Maye.
