Former Purdue RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. picked in NFL Draft

Tyrone Tracy Jr., standout running back in his last season with Purdue as a converted wide receiver, was picked 166 in the NFL Draft, in the fifth round Saturday by the New York Giants. He was the first Boilermaker to be picked.

Tracy ran for over 700 yards and eight touchdowns for the Boilers last season, but it seems to be his 19 receptions for 132 yards that have positioned him for NFL success, as the first thing usually mentioned about him as a prospect is his status as a former wideout and his room for growth in running the football. The most common Tracy highlight to circulate on X in the wake of his selection was a long catch-and-run touchdown from his Iowa days.

Tracy had to wait around a little longer than expected to be selected. He was rated as the 147th-best player in the draft by online draft ranking compiler NFL Mock Draft Database. His "peak" rank on the site was 120.

Tracy's athletic scoring supports his potential to be a versatile playmaker. The Indianapolis native's NextGen stats athleticism score, which aggregates Tracy's performance in a variety of drills, was fourth among all running backs.

NFL Draft analyst Lance Zerlein projected Tracy as a fourth rounder, so the Giants appear to have gotten good value as far as draftniks are concerned.

"Tracy was a full-time running back for only one year but had exciting flashes all over his tape," Zerlein said in his breakdown of Tracy. "He’s a bendy, rhythmic runner who sees and traverses the interior run lanes like he built the maze. He creates additional yardage with a blend of elusiveness, power and a willful desire to maximize each run."