Ohio State Buckeyes RB TreVeyon Henderson was back to his old ways early in the season. Through four games he toted the rock 44 times for 295 yards, adding five scores on the ground. However, he missed the Buckeyes’ close win against the Maryland Terrapins. What is Henderson’s injury, and will he play against the Purdue Boilermakers?
TreVeyon Henderson’s Injury
Henderson missed the Maryland game with an undisclosed injury. But, said injury was never considered to be long term.
In fact, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day expected him to be ready against Purdue the following week. Still, it makes sense to approach the explosive running back’s injury, whatever it may be, with caution.
Henderson missed five games last season because of a broken bone in his foot. He had surgery in December, and it’s clear from his performance early in 2023 that he’s back to 100%.
Despite his injury, Henderson was seen catching passes and moving around briskly during the team warmups last Saturday against Maryland.
Day said Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson is "much better than he was last week, for sure." He was close to playing last week.
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) October 12, 2023
Henderson is expected to play against Purdue.
Henderson’s Scouting Report
Henderson is currently the consensus RB1 between the three members of PFN’s NFL Draft Scouting department. His explosiveness and contact balance make him a consistent big-play weapon, which is no longer a luxury, but a necessity, for RB prospects.
MORE: Top RBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
There is no consensus on what is and is not the perfect build for a running back. They come in all shapes and sizes. However, there seems to be a relative sweet spot between 5’9″ and 5’11”, and anywhere from 210 to 225 pounds. At 5’10”, 215 pounds, Henderson fits snugly into that mold. He’s squatty and powerful with an explosive lower half.
Henderson’s density and explosiveness transfer to proper contact balance, but he doesn’t sacrifice any kind of spring. He possesses urgency in his feet, and his understanding of angles and leverage allows him to make would-be tacklers miss.
Player comparisons often miss the mark because every player is unique. While they are different players, Henderson’s game is not too dissimilar from Travis Etienne Jr., who was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
