The New York Giants overhauled their backfield this offseason following the departure of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. They signed veteran running back Devin Singletary to replace him as the lead back and are now forming a committee to rotate alongside him. Within that committee is fifth-round rookie Tyrone Tracy, an underrated prospect who is beginning to generate excitement.
However, it was recently reported that Tracy was not the team’s top choice at the running back position in this year’s draft. The Giants were reportedly interested in taking USC running back prospect MarShawn Lloyd, who was much higher on the draft board. However, they ultimately missed out due to a lack of draft capital.
Giants reportedly missed out on USC running back MarShawn Lloyd
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, both the Giants and their rival Dallas Cowboys were targeting Lloyd on Day 2 of the draft, but ultimately didn’t have a pick in range to land him:
“Like Dallas, New York also had its sights on USC running back MarShawn Lloyd as a future lead back but didn’t have a pick between Nos. 71 and 107. Lloyd went 88th,” Fowler wrote. “But the Giants definitely had him on the radar in Day 2.”
The Green Bay Packers wound up being the lucky team to land Lloyd at No. 88 overall. They needed to add talent to the position and did so with Lloyd, who rushed for 1,052 yards and nine touchdowns for the Trojans in 2023. After missing out on Lloyd, the Giants pivoted in a new direction and still managed to add talent to their running back position later in the draft.
The Giants can be content with the running back they drafted instead
While Lloyd was an intriguing prospect and surely would have been an exciting draft pick, the Giants can be content with the running back they drafted in the fifth round. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a dynamic weapon who could ultimately wind up being a draft steal for Big Blue.
The Purdue prospect converted from wide receiver to running back and flashed his potential at the new position during his final collegiate season.
In 2023, rushed for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. Tracy’s 90.5 Pro Football Focus rushing grade in 2023 ranked third among Big Ten running backs. He posted a career PFF Elusive Rating of 133.80 which ranked 10th among running backs drafted since 2018 in Round 5 or earlier. Tracy forced 46 missed tackles in 2023.
The Giants are hoping Tracy will play a prominent role in their backfield by committee as a rookie.