Is Tyrone Tracy a Target for the Colts?

by Jack Guiley

Tyrone Tracy committed to Iowa in 2018 as a 3-star prospect out of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior year of high school and played four years at Iowa before transferring to Purdue in 2022. Tracy had his best year for Purdue in 2023 when he was named Second Team All-Big Ten. The former Indiana high school star made the position switch from receiver to running back in his final collegiate year, where he saw a sudden uptick in production.

With his extensive background as a receiver, Tracy displays excellent hands out of the backfield. Even though he is an older prospect, the former Boilermaker still has a lot of “tread on the tires” due to his lack of actual carries. And for any NFL team, Tracy brings immediate upside as a gadget play guy and return man. Teams in the scouting season have looked at him differently, as he could immediately contribute as a wide receiver four/scat back, where he’d thrive on jet sweeps, swing, and Texas routes when matched up against linebackers. And as a prospect, Tracy has quickly mastered the small details of playing running back and can eventually become a secondary back with home run potential.

As he continues to learn the ins and outs of running, reading blocking schemes, and setting up his blockers to gain maximum yardage, Tracy will need to learn to not bounce runs that aren’t there. Moreover, with his relative inexperience at the position, Tracy doesn’t always display the best contact balance, which can sometimes limit explosive runs that are there. Despite this, Tracy’s untapped potential opens the door for a variety of teams to have different visions of what he could become. A team like the 49ers, who have in recent years taken speedy backs higher than the consensus, could continue their trend by taking Tracy early on day three.

Draft Nation is higher on Tracy’s upside than the consensus and could see him being an early day three pick for a team that prioritizes outside zone runs. For the first half of his rookie contract, Tracy will be best served in a return and gadget role with the occasional 2-3 carries. As the NFL continues to move towards running back rooms by committee, the former Purdue Boilermaker should find a productive role in an NFL offense.

But the big question is: does Tracy come home to play for the Colts? Many hometown fans would enjoy the story and perhaps Colts’ GM Chris Ballard agrees. We shall see on draft night.