Bucky Irving NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB

HEIGHT: 5'9"

WEIGHT: 192

HAND: 9½"

ARM: 29½"

WINGSPAN: 70⅝"

40-YARD DASH: 4.55

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 29.5"

BROAD: 9'7"

POSITIVES

— Great foot quickness and change-of-direction skills. Can stop on a dime and redirect with ease.

— Very good short-area quickness.

— Elite acceleration. Immediately shifts into top gear the moment he touches the ball. Can attack the edge right away.

— Good vision and decisiveness as a runner. Follows his blockers very well on pulling plays in particular.

— Very good, high-volume pass-catcher. Reliable underneath option with some YAC juice.

NEGATIVES

— Size probably limits him from ever being a lead back.

— Poor play strength. Immediately stopped on first contact on almost every clean tackle attempt. Cannot move piles.

— Too often stops his feet at the second level and tries to make a move rather than trudging forward. Knows he cannot win through contact.

— Poor pass-blocker right now. Eyes and effort need some work; may never have the size to be consistently good at it.

2023 STATISTICS

— 14 G, 186 ATT, 1,180 YDS (6.3 AVG), 11 TD; 56 REC, 413 YDS (7.4 AVG), 2 TD

NOTES

— Born Aug. 19, 2002

— 4-star recruit in Minnesota's 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Transferred from Minnesota to Oregon in 2022

— 27 career starts, all at Oregon

— 2023 second-team All-Pac-12

OVERALL

Bucky Irving is a pass-catching No. 2 back if there ever was one.

At 5'9" and 192 pounds, Irving does not have the frame or play strength to be a lead back in the NFL. He consistently goes down on first contact, and his skinny frame might not handle a heavy NFL workload very well. Moreover, Irving knows he doesn't have play strength, so he often stops his feet instead of running through contact for extra yards.

With that being said, Irving has the necessary vision and twitch to be a useful change-of-pace back in the NFL.

Irving screams into top gear the minute he touches the ball. That helps him on all types of runs, but especially on the perimeter. Irving also has nimble feet and fantastic quickness, allowing him to weave through traffic smoothly and make defenders miss in tight spaces.

Irving has good vision as well. He's a smart runner who plays with good pace. Irving is never moving too fast for his blockers, and he understands how to ride plays out for as long as possible to outleverage defenders trying to play blocks. Irving shows the ability to handle all types of run concepts, and he was especially effective on pulling plays at Oregon.

Irving is a mixed bag on third down. On one hand, he is a delightful pass-catcher. Irving has reliable hands and is an absolute nuisance to corral in the open field on underneath throws. However, Irving is not a playable pass-blocker right now by NFL standards. It's possible that he never will be given his frame and lack of strength.

Irving can be a solid No. 2 in a shotgun-based offense. His vision, quickness and overall receiving profile make him a good fit for that role. NFL teams just needs to be realistic about Irving's workload and long-term potential given his size.

GRADE: 6.5 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 123

POSITION RANK: RB7

PRO COMPARISON: Andre Ellington

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

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