Fifth-round pick Eric Gray eager to learn from Giants RB Saquon Barkley
Running back Eric Gray #0 of the Oklahoma Sooners runs for a 44-yard gain against defensive back D.J. Miller, Jr. #35 of the Kent State Golden Flashes in the third quarter at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. OU won 33-3. Credit: Getty Images
Yes, the Giants drafted a running back on Saturday. His name is Eric Gray. He was selected with the 172nd pick (fifth round).
He spent his first two years of college at Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma in January 2021.
And according to sources, his selection by the Giants has absolutely nothing to do with Saquon Barkley and his current contract impasse.
Gray said he is looking forward to being a teammate of Barkley’s. “I’ve watched a lot of Saquon, a lot of his games,” Gray said. “So just being able to learn from him, things that he did as a rookie being successful in the league, that’s going to be very important.”
Asked what he can bring to the Giants, Gray said: “I’m just going to bring a lot to the offense and be able to run in between the tackles, run outside zone, inside zone, being able to catch the ball out of the backfield. I think I just bring another threat to the offense.”
Coincidentally, Giants running backs coach Jeff Nixon is a native of State College, Pennsylvania, and (like Barkley) a Penn State graduate.
Gray said he spent “a pretty good amount” of time with Nixon in the predraft process.
Gray also was a former teammate of Jalin Hyatt’s during their time together at Tennessee. Hyatt was the Giants’ third-round draft pick Friday.
Gray described Hyatt as “a great, fast receiver. Very productive.”
Gray also considers himself a good receiver out of the backfield. “Just having those natural hands to be able to catch and being able to route-run,’’ he said. “I have a good feel for knowing coverages coming out of the backfield, knowing if it’s man or zone or if I need to break it this way, setting crisp routes, getting to my depth. I would say I’ve been blessed to be a pretty good route-runner.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
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