The New York Giants selected the dynamic wide receiver-turned-running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Tracy joins a group headed by veteran Devin Singletary that will attempt to replace the production provided by Saquon Barkley, who departed in free agency to join the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s expected that the Giants will go with a committee approach at running back to accomplish that feat, meaning Tracy will likely see some offensive snaps as a rookie. He could also play a very significant role on special teams.
Given his versatility, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports believes Tracy will be one of football’s most productive rookie running backs.
4. Tyrone Tracy, Giants
In 2021, Tracy was a middling wideout at Iowa. Now he’s an exciting Day 3 selection at the running back spot on a Giants team that has Devin Singletary as it’s lead runner entering the 2024 campaign. Don’t get me wrong with that sentence — I love Singletary. He was my RB1 in the 2019 class and has quietly averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his NFL career to date with at least 150 rushes in all of his first five professional seasons.
But I understand he’s not a true feature back at this stage of his career, although he is fresh off a 216 carry season in Houston in 2023. Tracy has the dynamic linear athleticism Singletary does not, as evidenced by his 4.48 speed and 40-inch vertical at the combine in March. In fact, Tracy’s dynamic physical talent and Singletary’s lateral brilliance will make for a fun running-back tandem in the GMen’s backfield *if* the Giants can actually block for their ground game.
How, exactly, the Giants plan to utilize Tracy remains to be seen but he can fill multiple roles and that versatility will likely lead to head coach Brian Daboll & Co. getting creative.
Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Kimani Vidal (Los Angeles Chargers), and Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals) were those ranked higher than Tracy.
