Bucky Irving, RB Oregon: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Irving was a four-star recruit from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Ill. in the class of 2021

Oregon running back Bucky Irving is undersized compared to some of the other top backs in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has the athletic traits to warrant consideration for a top 100 pick. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if he fell to Day 3.

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Bucky Irving, RB Oregon: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from Chicago, Ill.

Background: Irving was a four-star recruit from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Ill. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 340 recruit according to 247Sports (four-star) and No. 351 for On3.com (four-star). Irving was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He transferred from Minnesota to Oregon for the 2022 season. Irving ran for 3,264 yards during his three high school varsity seasons. He was a First Team All-State selection and the South Suburban Conference Player of the Year in 2019 when he ran for 1,733 yards and 22 touchdowns and totaled 405 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered minor right leg injury vs. Washington State (2023), played through a left ankle injury at the end of the 2023 season after suffering it vs. USC

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12, 2022 First Team All-Pac-12 (PFF), 2022 Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP, 2023 Second Team All-Pac-12, 2023 First Team All-Pac-12 (PFF)

Pros: Experience returning kicks, only one fumble in college, agile and explosive athlete, patient and agile feet, light and quick-footed, sharp jump cuts, cuts and agility to make a defender miss in the hole, presses close to his linemen on gap runs, vision to find small holes between the tackles, vision reveals cutback lanes, sets blockers up well, burst to quickly reach the third level, acceleration to erase angles, acceleration to hit the corner and turn upfield, creative with ideal change of direction (COD), nightmare to track down in the open field, surprising contact in his lower half, finishes runs falling forward, drives legs through contact, stiff arm, spin move, stutter-step to freeze defender, experienced pass catcher, athlete traits make him a threat as a pass catcher, willing to step up and pick up the blitzer in pass pro

Cons: Undersized frame creates physical limitations, top speed falls short of elite, power is limited by frame, struggles to break tackles that go high, Oregon State tape showed limitations against heavy boxes (2023), lots of plays stopped at or near the LOS, size limits pass pro capabilities, lunges into pass pro blocks with shoulder first, seven drops over the past two years, runs a very basic route tree

Overview: Irving has experience returning kicks for Minnesota and Oregon. He was one of the most sure-handed running backs in college football, only fumbling once during his career. Irving is an agile and explosive athlete who displays light and quick feet that help him execute sharp and sudden jump cuts. The junior makes defenders miss one-on-one in the hole. He does a good job pressing close to his linemen on gap runs. Irving is a smaller running back with a lean frame, which makes running between the tackles an up-and-down experience. Fortunately, he has the vision to slip between small holes and pick up extra yardage. Irving’s excellent vision also reveals cutback lanes. He excels at setting his blockers up in the open field to maximize his runs. The All-Pac-12 selection’s burst quickly carries him to the defense’s third level, and his acceleration erases the angles defenders take in run support. Irving’s acceleration also allows him to turn the corner on outside runs and head upfield. He is a creative runner with excellent agility and change of direction skills. Defenders sometimes catch Irving from behind because he lacks elite long speed, but he’s difficult to corner one-on-one in space. Irving’s frame limits his true power, but he has surprising contact balance in his lower half. He often finishes runs by falling forward and driving his legs through contact. The Illinois native uses stiff arms, spin moves, and stutter-steps to make defenders miss in the open field. He is an experienced pass catcher with the athletic traits to create after the catch. However, Irving only ran a limited route tree at Oregon and occasionally suffers from drops. He is willing to step up and meet blitzers in pass protection, but his size and technique limit his effectiveness in this area. Irving doesn’t have much natural power and struggles to break tackle attempts on his upper body. He lacks the build to match up against heavy boxes. Irving came up with some massive splash plays in 2023 but also had his fair share of plays that ended at or near the line of scrimmage for little gain.

Overall, Irving is an agile, explosive athlete with excellent vision and surprising contact balance, but his size and power make him more of a scheme and role-specific running back compared to the top players at his position in the 2024 NFL Draft. Expect Irving to contribute in a running back rotation and earn a larger percentage of snaps as his rookie season progresses.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational running back in an outside zone scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Early Fourth

Size: 5'10", 195 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 02-28-24