Former Purdue RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Makes NFL Debut in Giants-Vikings Game

Former Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. got his first taste of NFL regular season action in Sunday’s opener between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. He ended the contest with three total touches.

Tracy, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Giants, had two carries for two yards and one reception for five yards in New York’s 28-6 loss to Minnesota.

He wasn’t asked to carry a heavy load in his debut, but it was a great opportunity for the former Boilermaker to get live action during a regular season game.

A native of Indianapolis, Tracy started his college career at Iowa (2018-21) before transferring to Purdue ahead of the 2022 season. He was part of a Boilermaker squad that won the Big Ten West in 2022, playing in the conference championship game that year.

But it was the decision to move to running back under new coach Ryan Walters in 2023 that helped propel Tracy’s career to the next level. He believes that the shift from wide receiver allowed him the opportunity to get selected in the NFL Draft.

“To be honest with you, no,” Tracy said in May when asked if he thinks he would’ve been drafted had he stayed at 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.”

Tracy was a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023, rushing for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 132 yards.

The former Boilermaker wasn’t asked to do much on Sunday, but it was cool to see him get the opportunity to play in the NFL.

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