Why Giants Fifth-round Draft Pick Tyrone Tracy, Jr Agreed to Switch from Receiver to Running Back

Why would an NFL prospect want to switch from a premium position like receiver to a role that's been devalued by NFL teams? Tyrone Tracy Jr explains.

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr always knew he wanted to get to the NFL.

But to get where one wants to go, one must make long-term sacrifices and tough decisions.

In Tracy’s case, he had to agree to switch positions, going from receiver, a position that is paid at a premium in the NFL, to running back, a position that has become somewhat devalued over the years.

Not that Tracy minded making the switch.

“I always knew I wanted to play running back, but just never had the opportunity to,” he told reporters during the second day of the Giants’ rookie minicamp. “The opportunity was really for receiver. At Iowa, we had some great running backs. At Purdue, we had great running backs. I did what the team needed me to do. They needed me to be a receiver, so I went out there and did the best I could at the position.”

Tracy would get that chance to switch positions when he got to Purdue. There, his position coach, Lamar Conard, who during the initial recruiting of Tracy viewed him as a running back more so than as a receiver, collaborated with Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters to reach a consensus about the move.

It was then presented to Tracy, who fully embraced the recommendation.

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“Coach Walt was initially the one who came to me and said, ‘Hey, you're a pretty good receiver, but you can be a really good running back if you put your mind to it.’ He was watching my film, seeing that when I had the ball in my hands, I could be very explosive, but which is the easiest way to get the ball? At receiver or running back. I kind of bet on myself.”

The bet paid off in his quest to get to the NFL. Tracy admitted that had he stayed at receiver, he would have been another guy in a sea of receivers looking to stick with an NFL team.

But as a running back? “I'm a fast, big running back. I’m a running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield,” he said.

“So, yeah, when you look at how God placed everything and allowed my situation to align up, switching to running back from receiver was the missing piece to the puzzle.”

Tracy, who played the position before college, had to add about ten pounds to his 6-1 frame to convert to running back. That added bulk made him even sturdier without diminishing his speed, shiftiness, or quickness.

“It was actually easier to transition to running back than to receiver because receiver requires different techniques and different things to be successful,” he said. When I went back to running back, everything came naturally. I had to be more detailed and focused on the details and fundamentals of the position.”

Why was it so easy to transition?

“It was an easy adjustment because I love the game,” he said. “When you love the game, things about the game come easily, like studying the film and understanding why you have to pay attention to the nose tackle rather than the D-end.

"Just understanding that the details matter to the position. So, when that switch happened I was in love with the idea of understanding that I have to know more.”

His efforts paid off. Tracy’s 6.3 yards per carry paced the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally, the second-best rushing average in school history.

He also produced three 100-yard rushing games, all in Big Ten play, and he became the first running back to lead Purdue in touchdowns since 2015.

Although he’s still learning the finer intricacies of playing running back, it is hoped that given how difficult he is to bring down to the ground given his size, he’ll be successful in threatening linebackers when he comes out of the backfield as a receiver.

Tracy, who is a little older than the rest of his fellow draft classmates, has another advantage: less wear and tear than the typical college running back. He believes this added to the value that the teams saw in him during the pre-draft process.

“Yeah, that was a lot of things that some of the NFL teams were talking about during the process, but the wear and tear on my body is minimal,” he said.

“I didn't have that many snaps as a lot of the other players that were in the draft, but I did have—my stats kind of spoke for themselves. The film kind of speaks for itself as well.”

Tracy, whose skill set also makes him a legitimate candidate for the kickoff returner role and who is also part of the Giants’ running back committee, which is expected to be chaired by Devin Singletary, reflected briefly on hearing his name called during the draft.

“It was very emotional,” he said. “I've been working for this for 20 years, so when you work for something for so long and you see that all the work has an outcome and you see the results from it, it's a special moment for me and my family.”

But getting to the NFL is one thing. Staying is quite another, and Tracy is ready to embrace that next challenge the only way he knows how: through hard work.

“When the ball comes to me, I'm just going to do my best to make sure I make an explosive play,” he said.

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