Gary Brightwell

Originally a 6th-round (196th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2021.

TRANSACTIONS:

• Originally a 6th-round (196th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2021.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• As a rookie in 2021, Brightwell played in 13 games and had one carry for 4 yards, one reception for 6 yards and 8 special teams tackles…His 8 special teams tackles were the 5th-most among Giants players and all NFL rookies in 2021…Made his NFL debut vs. Denver (9/12) and caught one pass for 6 yards…Logged his first career rushing attempt for a 4-yard gain and added 3 special teams tackles vs. Atlanta (9/26)…Spent Week 9 on the Reserve/COVID-19 list…Suffered a neck injury vs. Dallas (12/19) and was inactive at Philadelphia (12/26) before being placed on injured reserve the following week.

COLLEGE:

• Played in 40 games with 7 starts at Arizona…After playing slot receiver as a freshman, Brightwell switched to running back and had 245 carries for 1,305 yards (5.3-yard avg.) and 9 touchdowns…He also recorded 19 receptions for 121 yards and one score…Averaged 17.2 yards on 5 kickoff returns.
• As a senior in 2020, started all 5 of Arizona's games…Named All-Pac-12 honorable mention…Led the Wildcats with 88 carries for 390 yards and one touchdown…Caught 13 passes for 53 yards…Recorded a season-high 117 yards and scored his only touchdown of the season on a career-high 22 carries vs. Colorado…In 2019, played in 11 games with 2 starts…Rushed for 390 yards and 5 touchdowns on 66 carries (5.9-yard avg.) and caught 4 passes for 59 yards and one touchdown…Added 39 yards on 3 kickoff returns and had 3 special teams tackles...Rushed for a career-high 141 yards on just 5 carries, including a 94-yard touchdown, vs. Northern Arizona…The 94-yarder tied Nic Grigsby (2009 vs. Northern Arizona) for the 2nd-longest run in school history...In 2018, played in 11 games and finished with career-high totals of 91 carries for 525 yards (team-leading 5.8-yard avg.) and scored 3 touchdowns…Posted 100-yard rushing games at Oregon State (113 yards) and at UCLA (121 yards)…As a freshman in 2017, played in all 13 games, primary on special teams, where he had 2 tackles.

OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY:

• Supported the Food Bank for New York City during the 2021 season by funding a BackPack program for P.S. 57 Hubert H. Humphrey Elementary School and sponsoring a teacher appreciation program.

PERSONAL:

• Majored in literacy, learning and leadership…Began his prep career at St. George's Tech in Delaware, where he rushed for 1,309 yards as a junior…Transferred to Baltimore's St. Frances Academy as a senior in 2016 and ran for 1,715 yards and averaged 6.7 yards a carry…Served as team captain as a senior, when he was named first-team all-conference and first-team All-State MIAA…Son of Gary Brightwell Sr., and Carla Young.