‘I’m here to play football’

The New York Giants entered the 2024 NFL draft seeking out players who could help them both build their roster and enhance their culture.

So when they selected Purdue’s soon-to-be 25-year-old everyman, running back/receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round, fans began to piece together the mindset.

“Some of these guys are older, too, relative to what people have been through the past few years, I would say, COVID and all those other things,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said after the draft.

“Some guys are a little bit older. He’s a former receiver. In terms of yards per carry, he’s been pretty good. He’s an athlete who has played receiver and then played running back and has some good production. We’ll throw him in the mix. Whether that’s in the kickoff return game or whether that’s at running back or the receiving part of it, 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.”

Tracy was the first of the Giants’ six draft picks to sign his rookie deal, which was completed this week. He sloughed that off and revealed the real reason why he is here.

“I’m here to play football,” Tracy said. “I’m not really worried about the business side of it. If I do what I do on the football field, everything else will come.”

Tracy believes he could not have landed in a better place. The Giants are entering the post-Saquon Barkley era with a committee approach at running back. He feels he’s a good fit with his skill set.

“I’ve been working for this for 20 years”

Tyrone Tracy Jr. talks about the “special moment” of being drafted by the Giants: pic.twitter.com/SeWcYxeEGI

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) May 11, 2024

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” he said regarding his versatility. “The league now is turning toward more of a passing league within the running back game. If you’re a running back in this NFL today, you have to be able to run the ball well and also catch the ball out of the backfield. So, it’s really good that I can do both and I have the receiver background.”

Tracy figures to help out on special teams, where he has extensive experience as a returner.

“It kind of added a little bit more value to me and really the rest of running backs because that’s something we can place in our bag and do on the field and add to our skillset,” Tracy said. “I was pretty happy, to say the least.”

All in all, the young man from Indianapolis is glad to be Giant.

“For me to actually be on an NFL team, be on a roster,” Tracy said, “it means more to me than people know.”

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