Report: Giants had USC running back targeted in draft

The New York Giants drafted Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in Round 5 of the 2024 NFL Draft. There is a lot of excitement about the upside of Tracy, a converted wide receiver who only played running back one season in college.

Still, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN is reporting that the draft may have turned out differently for the Giants if they had a selection between No. 70, when they selected cornerback Andu Phillips, and 107, when they selected tight end Theo Johnson.

Fowler reported that “New York also had its sights on USC running back MarShawn Lloyd as a future lead back.”

The Giants, of course, are moving into a post-Saquon Barkley era. They have veteran Devin Singletary as their lead back. Tracy, Eric Gray, Gary Brightwell and others will compete to join a running back committee.

As for Phillips, some are struggling to understand why the Giants selected him when he appears to be a slot-first cornerback. Fowler’s intel, though, is glowing. He wrote:

Early third-round defensive back choice Dru Phillips always seemed destined for Day 2, but a few scouts had a late-first-round grade on him — and one of the reasons was his football acumen. Multiple teams told me Phillips’ combine interview was among their very best thanks to his ability to see the game and grasp defensive concepts.