Why 6-Foot-7 Aussie Rugby Star Jarrod Gray is Giants' Ultimate Low-Risk, High-Reward Project

The New York Giants are not just thinking about 2026 with their player acquisitions; they are legitimately looking ahead to ensure the team has depth and potential beyond the present.

That's why adding players like offensive tackle Jarrod Gray is so important to their future. Gray represents the opportunity to try out and develop talent with low risk and high reward.

He is part of the International Pathway Program (IPP) and, as such, does not count against the 90-man training camp roster. This means the Giants get to bring him in as an extra body to their training camp roster.

Gray is a former Australian rugby player who gave up the sport to transition to American football. His enormous size, mixed with his athleticism developed while playing rugby, makes him an intriguing prospect to see how quickly he can adapt to the game.

Even if he does not make the team, which is a likely outcome, there's a good chance he will be identified as a player worth continuing to develop.

JARROD GRAY, OT

Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 318 lbs.
Exp: Rookie
School: N/A
How Acquired: UDFA-'26 (IPP)

2025 in Review

Gray grew up playing rugby in Australia. He played in the junior rugby league in Sydney. That includes a stint in the South Sydney Rabbitoh’s junior system.

In 2025, he decided to shift his focus from rugby to trying to pursue a football career, and that's where he got hooked up with the IPP.

He caught the eye of many NFL teams, and the New York Giants were the ones to grab him as an undrafted free agent.

Contract/Cap Info

According to Spotrac, Gray signed a three-year, $3.1 million contract as an undrafted free agent with the Giants in the IPP.

He did not receive a signing bonus, and his contract contains no guaranteed money. He will make an average of $1.033 million per year. This season, he will earn a base salary of $885,000. He will carry a cap hit of just over $885,000.

2026 Preview

The 2026 season is all about acclimation for Gray. He is trying to acclimate to a game at a level he hasn't experienced in anything he's done in his life. The goal is not to look completely lost.

If he does that, he's already winning. Gray's definition of success should be much different than any other player's definition of success on this roster. Because he hasn't been playing the game, he's not really in competition with anyone. He just needs to focus on getting better.

The first thing he should focus on during training camp—and he probably has already done this throughout the offseason activities—is getting accustomed to the speed of the game.

This is especially true in pass protection against the super-athletic edge rushers populated throughout this Giants roster. If he can get comfortable with the speed, even if he loses reps, he will understand what he needs to do in order to be better against those players.

The second focus should be on dealing with power and physicality. He will have to be able to move bodies in the run game, not just lean on them. The technique used in rugby isn't a direct transition to football.

How he works to stop an initial rush from an interior defender, where he places his hands, and how he moves his feet will be paramount to his improvement in addressing the physical nature of the trenches.

Gray is heading to the practice squad, where he can continue refining his game and look to 2027 as a potential year to make a run at the 53-man roster.

This offensive line will be difficult to penetrate even then. But if he can make enough gains this first season on the practice squad, he becomes a more attractive prospect for all of the teams in the league.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google