On Friday, the Patriots selected three players across two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft:
- Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson (round two, No. 38)
- Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams (round three, No. 69)
- Georgia center Jared Wilson (round three, No. 95)
Within minutes of each player being selected by the team, they were asked to hop on Webex for a virtual press conference with members of the Boston media in attendance at Gillette Stadium for coverage of the draft.
And in each instance, a new member of the Patriots offense gave us some piece of interesting insight.
Some showed their personalities, some gave us a closer look into their dealings with the team pre-draft, and some gave us a window into the type of player we can expect them to be once the shoulder pads are strapped on at 1 Patriot Place.
Here’s, for my money, the most interesting thing each draft pick selected on Friday had to say when chatting with the media:
TreVeyon Henderson, RB
For college football fans, Henderson has been a household name for quite some time, as he played a significant role within the Buckeyes’ offense in all four of his years in Columbus.
For those of you who tend to focus more on the football being played on Sundays, you may not be aware of an insane stat Henderson has to his name:
Across his four years with Ohio State, Henderson touched the 667 times during live game action.
Of those 667 touches, Henderson lost zero fumbles.
None!
Here’s what the 22-year-old had to say about ball security on Friday night:
“[It’s] very important. That's something we did almost every week at Ohio State. I know when we put the ball on the ground, it's a high possibility you're coming out, you're probably not playing again. That encouraged me a lot to hold on to the ball. It can cost a team, especially in those big matchup games. That's something that I'm looking forward to carrying on to the next level as well, just holding on to the ball.”
With impeccable game tape, a national championship, and 4.43 40-yard dash to his name, Henderson’s ability to hold on to the football is icing on the cake for the 5-foot-10 207-pound Virginia native.
And with incumbent starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson leading the NFL with 7 lost fumbles in 2024 after signing a four-year extension worth $36 million last summer, hearing this almost fake-sounding stat for Henderson has to be music to Patriots fans’ ears.
Kyle Williams, WR
In addition to the 5-foot-11 Inglewood native reflexively saying “it was cold” when asked about what stood out during his pre-draft visit to New England, the speedy wideout also had the room laughing when talking about his impressions of meeting head coach Mike Vrabel:
“I loved him, you know. Big dude. I had mistaken him for an O-lineman, but he was a linebacker. In my opinion, he could have went to the NBA, but a dude that - he loves the game. You can hear it in his voice, the passion that he comes with, you know he is a man of standards. He wants to work, and that’s what I can come in and help bring to the organization.”
Not sure Vrabel loved being mistaken for a former offensive lineman. This is a nugget that will need to be unpacked more the next time he meets with the media in Foxborough.
Outside of Williams’ honest mistake, it’s encouraging to hear him echo the sentiments we’ve continued to hear from players excited to play for Vrabel in New England.
Let’s hope all the love he’s been receiving translates to a professional operation on the field this fall.
Jared Wilson, OL
As a pretty generic interview with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound center was coming to a close, The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan chimed in with a question in-line with the generic nature of the conversation.
The interaction turned out to be far from generic, as it appears the Patriots have added another quirky dude to the locker room:
Andrew Callahan: “Any fun facts, things that fans would be surprised to know about you before you get to New England?”
Jared Wilson: “I’ll give you one thing, I like snakes. I don't think a lot of people know that, but I love snakes. When I was 12, my 12th birthday, I think my mom got me a ball python that I had for about maybe 6-7 months and then we were moving in with our granddad and he was like, “yeah no, that's not coming in my house,” and I begged him for about a week and I just had to give it away.”
AC: “Do you own a new snake? Did you get a new python?”
JW: “No, but I will when I come up there.”
I have a feeling him and Mack Hollins are going to get along famously.
Day three of the 2025 NFL Draft resumes on Saturday, with rounds four, five, six and seven take place back-to-back-to-back-to-back starting at 12:00 p.m. ET.
At the time of publishing, here are the remaining picks for New England in this year’s draft:
- No. 106 (round four)
- No. 144 (round five)
- No. 146 (round five)
- No. 171 (round five)
- No. 220 (round seven)
- No. 238 (round seven)
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots offseason.