NFL Boilers: New York Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Named to PFWA All-Rookie Team
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The move from wide receiver to running back continues to pay off for former Purdue star Tyrone Tracy Jr. The New York Giants ball carrier was named to the PFWA (Pro Football Writers Association) All-Rookie Team for the 2024 NFL season.
Tracy, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Purdue, rushed for 839 yards and five touchdowns during his first season with the Giants. He also had 284 receiving yards and a touchdown catch on 38 receptions.
Among NFL rookies, Tracy finished third in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Malik Nabers & Tyrone Tracy Jr. named to PFWA All-Rookie Team 👏
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 21, 2025
📰: https://t.co/n60Rtp8JaA pic.twitter.com/k8VRa7FwH3
Tracy made his first major impact in an Oct. 6 game against Seattle. He rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries in a 29-20 victory over the Seahawks. It was the first of three times he hit the century mark on the ground during the 2024 campaign.
On Oct. 28, Tracy tore through the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense, piling up 145 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The rookie eclipsed the 100-yard mark one more time during the season, accounting for 103 yards and a touchdown on the ground against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 10.
Tracy began his college football career at Iowa before transferring to Purdue ahead of the 2022 season. He started out as a receiver in Jeff Brohm's offense in 2022 but made the full-time switch to running back under Ryan Walters in 2023.
It was a move that Tracy believes helped get him selected in the NFL Draft.
"To be honest with you, no," Tracy said when asked if he would have been drafted as a receiver. "At receiver, I might have been an average speed receiver, average size receiver. At running back, I'm a fast running back, I'm a big running back, I'm a running back who can catch the ball out of the outfield.
"When you look at how God placed every single thing and allowed my situation to kind of align up, switching to running back from receiver was actually the missing piece to the puzzle."
In his final season at Purdue in 2023, Tracy rushed for 716 yards and reached the end zone eight times. He also caught 19 passes for 132 yards. His unique ability to catch the ball out of the backfield certainly made him an appealing pick for Giants in the fifth round.
So far, it was a decision that has worked out for both Tracy and the Giants.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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