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NFL

Giants banking on rookie Tyrone Tracy despite limited time at running back

By
Paul Schwartz
Published May 9, 2024, 6:30 a.m. ET

What the heck are the Giants going to do with a rookie who turns 25 midway through his first NFL season and is relatively new to the position he will be asked to play?

Of the six prospects the Giants selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Tyrone Tracy is probably the most intriguing and impossible to gauge, given his advanced age, inexperience as a running back and potential to hit big or not at all.

“There are plenty of guys that are a little bit older, they’re not mature,’’ Lamar Conard, the running backs coach at Purdue, told The Post. “They can’t take hard coaching or the criticism that comes with the job. He can do all of that and then some. Believe it or not, I think his best football is still ahead of him because he’s so young at the position. From a talent perspective, man, he’s got it.’’

Running back Tyrone Tracy, who was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round, catches a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Running back Tyrone Tracy, who was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round, catches a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, Tracy is old for an NFL newcomer but he indeed is young as a running back, meaning he has not taken a physical beating during his extended stay in college.

More than most, Tracy is an unknown because he is closer to a novice than an expert in the job description the Giants envision for him.

“We’ve got to do a good job of getting him in here and seeing where he’s at and then trying to fit him into the things that he can do well,’’ coach Brian Daboll said.

At running back, veteran Devin Singletary was signed to start in place of Saquon Barkley, now with the Eagles.

Eric Gray, Gary Brightwell and Jashaun Corbin return, but as a group, they managed only 68 rushing yards in limited attempts.

A case can be made that the Giants should have looked for help at this spot earlier in the draft but they waited until 13 running backs came off the board before Tracy was the choice in the fifth round, pick No. 166.

Tracy spent four years at Iowa as a wide receiver, which is akin to serving as a firefighter in an igloo, given that program’s recent aversion to stellar passing attacks.

Tyrone Tracy runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Tyrone Tracy runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine. Getty Images

He caught 66 passes in that span and then transferred to Purdue.

In 2022, still at receiver, he had 28 catches and 17 rushing attempts.

Conard was hired at Purdue in 2023 possessing a history with the Tracy family.

As an assistant at Miami of Ohio, he recruited and coached Kenny and Javon, two of Tyrone Tracy’s three brothers.

When he arrived at Purdue, Conard’s first conversation with first-year head coach Ryan Walters was about Tracy. “I need Tyrone, he’s a running back,’’ Conard said.

Walters agreed.

“There was some trust built already because of my relationship with the Tracy family,’’ Conard said. “When I met with him it was giving him proof why I think this can work. He’s a very conscientious kid, we already had a returning all-conference running back in the room and he was like, ‘I don’t want to screw over those guys.’ I told him we’ll train you to be a kickoff returner and a punt returner. We’re gonna get you the football. And he was like, ‘I’m all in.’ It was surreal.’’

The results were compelling.

Tracy at 5-foot-11 and 209 pounds has the body of a running back and the transition was seamless, as he reinvented himself into an NFL prospect.

Tracy averaged a Big Ten-leading 6.3 yards per attempt and his 716 rushing yards was second on the team to Devin Mockobee’s 811 yards.

With eight trips into the end zone, he became the first Purdue running back since 2015 to lead the team in touchdowns.

Perhaps this is a tip of the iceberg deal for Tracy.

He was given 15 or more rushing attempts only three times and averaged 131 yards in those three games.

“His top-end skill is receiver,’’ Conard said. “He catches the ball fluidly. He runs his routes fluidly. Out of the backfield you can split him out, he will be telling people how to get lined up. He’s got that kind of IQ. He’s just so comfortable out in space. At tailback, that’s not the norm. He can run routes like a receiver. His hips are loose.

“And then you slide him into the backfield and he’s just as comfortable in these small spaces. Oftentimes with a receiver, they see, ‘I’m about to get smoked here, the safety’s coming down and I’m about to get my head knocked off.’ They’re getting down, stepping out of bounds. Tyrone doesn’t do that. He plays to the contact, through the contact, kind of a throwback thing.’’

Daboll said the Giants will “throw him in the mix’’ at running back and as a kick returner.

Rookie minicamp opens up on Friday.

“We like to pigeonhole guys as, ‘He’s a running back, he’s a receiver, he’s a kick returner,’ ’’ Conard said. “He’s just a heckuva football player. He’s something else, man. He’s awesome.’’