The New Orleans Saints carried former LSU Tigers track and field star Cyril Grayson on their 90-man roster throughout the summer, though he wasn’t kept around on the practice squad following roster cuts in September. Grayson’s raw speed was on clear display throughout the preseason games, and the Saints gave him opportunities to make a play on special teams as a punt and kickoff returner. On Tuesday, he parlayed that experience into a tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Track and field athletes have made the jump to the NFL before. The most well-known recent case may be San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the long jump before turning his attention to the NFL. After spending time developing his craft, he’s now a key piece of the San Francisco 49ers passing game, averaging 17.3 yards per catch the last three years.
At just 25, Grayson has plenty of time to develop into an asset in the NFL, likely with a future on special teams. His brand of speed simply can’t be taught or coached. The Buccaneers have one of the league’s more-average special teams units, lacking a consistent presence in returning punts and kickoffs or crashing down in coverage. Depending on how his tryout goes, Grayson could end up catching another opportunity to play professionally.
