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5 steals from Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft

By Chris Peterson

Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell (16) throws during the first quarter of the Music City Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.Cfb Music City Bowl Purdue Vs Tennessee
Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell (16) throws during the first quarter of the Music City Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.Cfb Music City Bowl Purdue Vs Tennessee /
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Eric Gray (0) runs the ball during a Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Oklahoma won 28-13.
Eric Gray (0) runs the ball during a Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Oklahoma won 28-13. /

Eric Gray (Giants, 5th round)

The New York Giants already have their bell-cow in Saquon Barkley, but you always need quality depth at running back in the NFL and the Giants did really well to get Eric Gray in the fourth round.

The former top-100 recruit didn’t run the 40 but he’s plenty fast and rushed for over 1,300 yards last season for Oklahoma while averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. It was also the first time Gray has carried the ball over 200 times in a season, so he doesn’t have a ton of tread on the tires.

Gray did rush for over 3,000 yards with Oklahoma and Tennessee. He also averaged 5.6 yards per rush in the process and scored 21 touchdowns. Beyond that, he’s a talented receiver with 99 career receptions including 63 over the last two seasons.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pounder could be a future starter for the Giants down the road and was projected in the fourth round by NFL.com. But I thought New York got a steal and a great complement to Barkley.

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