Growing up in Charlotte, N.C., Cedric Gray had plenty of opportunities to latch onto the Carolina Panthers as his favorite football team.
But a fierce, dynamic player in Western Pennsylvania with flowing locks out of the back of his helmet, one who was known for making game-changing plays, drew his attention.
That would be former Steelers star safety and Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.
Watching Polamalu play made Gray a fan of not only the “Tasmanian Devil,” but the Steelers as well, so much so that he got a tattoo depicting Polamalu on his left arm (along with one featuring the numbers 9 and 10 of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants for quarterbacks Tony Romo and Eli Manning, respectively, which honors his brothers’ fandom).
Now, on the cusp of achieving a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL, Gray is trying to add parts of Polamalu’s game to his.
Speaking with reporters at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, the North Carolina linebacker stated that Polamalu’s effort and physicality are parts that he’s added to his game in an effort to play like his idol.
“Yeah, definitely. Troy Polamalu, like I said, that was one of my favorite players when I was growing up,” Gray said regarding the Steelers all-time great. “Just the effort that he played with the tenacity and the physicality that he plays with, I try to model that and put some of that stuff into my game today.”
That tenacity and physicality stood out in Polamalu’s game, earning him the moniker of The Tasmanian Devil for how much of a blur he was on the field, flying all over the place to make plays.
Though he played linebacker in Chapel Hill, Gray hopes to be like his idol, the one he can look down at his left arm to for a reminder.
“That tattoo is actually a representation of me and my brothers and our favorite players when we were little. My favorite player was Troy Polamalu,” Gray said regarding his tattoo, which has generated plenty of attention. “One of my brothers, his favorite player — he was a Giants fan — was Eli Manning, and one is a Cowboys fan, and his favorite is Tony Romo. So that kind of explains the tattoo that I got right here.”
Coming out of Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, Gray had just one Power Five offer, which was from North Carolina. He jumped at it and put together a remarkable career with the Tar Heels.
In 51 career games (37 starts), Gray recorded 369 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five interceptions, 18 pass breakups, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. In 2023 alone, Gray had 121 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 sacks, one interception, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He earned first team All-ACC honors in 2022 and 2023, too.
Steelers Depot’s own Tom Mead gave Gray a late Day 2 grade in his scouting report for the site, pegging Gray as a third-round pick.
“Overall, Gray has good size, speed, and athleticism. He can be used in man or zone coverage effectively with the ability to cover running backs, tight ends, and some wide receivers as well. Will get his hands in throwing lanes and can hold onto interceptions. As a blitzer, he has good acceleration and can close in on the quarterback quickly. He is a strong tackler with the ability to run sideline to sideline and willingness to fill gaps to tighten running lanes.”
The Steelers have a need at linebacker once again, and Gray is one of the better off-ball linebackers in the class. After growing up a Steelers fan, maybe Gray gets a chance to don the Black and Gold himself in the future.
