Giants RB Eric Gray breaks ankles en route to 48-yard TD run vs. Lions

The NFL preseason is officially back, and the season is only a few weeks away. In the meantime, coaches will get to test drive plenty of the talent they have on their roster. On Thursday evening, the New York Giants are taking on the Detroit Lions. And one player who has turned some heads is former Oklahoma star Eric Gray.

He shook some Lions’ defenders in the open field and took a run 48-yards to paydirt.

Eric Gray to the HOUSE! 🏠

📺: FOX5 pic.twitter.com/WiJDanLkqt

— New York Giants (@Giants) August 9, 2024

Gray had an impressive showing on Thursday night, with 52 rushing yards, 46 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Giants defeated Detroit 14-3 on Thursday evening. The Lions got to see some exciting reps from backup quarterback Hendon Hooker, but he eventually had to leave the game in the second half with a concussion. It was his first game back from injury since November of the 2022 season with the Tennessee Volunteers, when he dazzled the college football world.

Before his injury that year, he threw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns over 11 games to go with 430 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He had some first-round potential in the draft, but ultimately fell to the third round after getting hurt in the South Carolina game.

More on Eric Gray and his football career

The New York Giants selected him No. 172 overall in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Gray led the Sooners backfield in 2022, rushing for a career-best 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns on 213 carries. His 6.4 yards per carry lead the Big 12 as he was named the second team all-conference. He became the fastest OU player to reach the 1,100-yard mark since Adrian Peterson in 2004 and ranked 13th in the country with 113.8 yards per game.

Gray began his college career at Tennessee before transferring to Norman in 2021. In his four total seasons, he rushed for 3,089 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also proved himself as a receiving threat out of the backfield with 99 catches for 827 yards and five touchdowns.

Gray played high school football for Lausanne Collegiate School in Tennessee, where he was a four-star prospect. He ranked as the No. 173 overall player and No. 12 running back in the 2019 class according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Chandler Vessels and Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.