Name: Bucky Irving

School: Oregon

Year:  Junior

Position: Running Back

Measurables: 5’9” , 192 lbs. (Combine Measurements)

Combine: ARM: 29 ½”. HAND: 9 ½”. VERTICAL: 29.5”. BROAD: 9’7”. 40-YD DASH: 4.55. 10-YD SPLIT: 1.54.

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-reference.com

General Info:

Irving was a four-star running back recruit by 247 Sports out of Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois, and was the number six recruit in the state of Illinois. After fielding offers from 17 Division 1 schools (many of them Big Ten schools), Irving chose Minnesota. 

Irving played his freshman year in 2021 at Minnesota and finished second on the team in rushing with 699 yards on 133 carries (5.3 YPC). Irving decided to transfer to Oregon after one season at Minnesota after feeling his skill set wasn’t being properly utilized within Minnesota’s offense. 

With a new head coach in Dan Lanning and fellow transfer in quarterback Bo Nix, Irving was productive in his first season at Oregon and led the team in rushing with 1058 yards on 156 carries (6.8 YPC). He was not handed the starting job upon arriving at Oregon and nearly split carries with fellow transfer Noah Wittington (138 carries). Irving was able to utilize his skill set as a receiver for the Ducks and nabbed 31 receptions. Irving finished with the sixth-best rushing grade (93.4) in 2022, per PFF. With a new head coach and highly regarded transfer quarterback in Nix, Oregon improved their points-per-game from 31.4 in 2021 to 38.8 in 2022. 

Irving continued his success in 2023, leading Oregon in rushing for a second straight year. He finished with 1180 yards on 186 carries (6.3 YPC) and led all NCAA FBS running backs with 55 receptions. Irving and backfield-mate Jordan James combined for 1,939 yards on the ground.  Irving finished with the fifth-best rushing grade of draft-eligible running backs (91.8, PFF). Oregon again displayed an explosive offense, upping their point total a second straight year to finish with 44.2 points per game, good for second in the country. Irving declared for the draft with one year of eligibility remaining. 

Irving was largely disappointing at the NFL Draft Combine. His forty time was a respectable 4.56, but his vertical and broad jumps were near or at the bottom for running backs who tested. He had a RAS (Relative Athletic Score) of 3.71. He did not participate in the three-cone drill or 20-yard shuttle. 

Positional skills:

Strengths

Irving didn’t wow many at the Scouting Combine, but this seems like a situation where the game tape doesn’t match the workout. Irving is a better football player than he showed during his Combine workout. 

Irving plays much bigger than his small-ish frame and displays great play strength. Per PFF, he had the fourth-most missed tackles forced (among draft-eligible running backs) in 2023 with 69, amassing 743 yards after contact. He had 172 missed tackles forced on 475 career carries. It shows on tape as Irving frequently runs through arm tackles and has a running style of that of a much larger back; he’s not afraid to initiate contact. He also forces missed tackles with his elusiveness and is much more shifty and quick than he is fast. 

He had the fourth-best elusive rating in 2023 at 149.2, a stat that measures the success and impact of a runner with the ball independent of the blocking. He also runs with great balance and fluidity, bouncing off would-be tacklers with ease. He has a lethal spin move and is hard to wrangle in open space. Point is: Irving can make people miss. 

Ball security was not a concern of Irving’s, with just one career fumble on 475 carries. He had zero career fumbles on 94 career receptions. 

Irving has very good hands and showed them at the Combine, plucking the ball with ease in the drills. He is a natural receiver on tape as well and displays strong hands when catching the ball, with seven drops on 105 career targets. He had great production as a receiver while at Oregon. He finished with 30 catches in 2022 and then finished with 55 receptions in 2023, which was tops among FBS running backs, and second-best across all divisions of NCAA football (FBS, FCS, Division 2, 3). His 55 catches came on 61 targets for a 90.2% catch rate when targeted. 

Irving had success running on both gap and zone designed run plays. He attacks holes at the point-of-attack, and is very elusive outside the tackles. 

Weaknesses

For as shifty and elusive as Irving may be, he lacks breakaway speed. Irving often won’t outrun faster defenders.

Irving may have led all FBS running backs in receptions but curiously enough, his average depth of target was -1.9 yards, meaning many of his targets were behind the line of scrimmage. In fact, he had a career -1.1 average depth of target. Irving may have solid hands and is productive as a receiver, but many of his receptions were designed plays behind the line of scrimmage. Irving lacks a true route tree and would need extensive coaching before he could be counted on lining up as a receiver. 

Irving was rated as the fourth-worst pass blocking draft eligible running back in 2023. He is willing to stand in against bigger pass rushers and linebackers, but often lacks leverage with his smaller stature. Per PFF, he allowed two sacks on 34 pass blocks in 2023 and had a 23.4 rating, which was actually a regression from his prior two seasons. 

FIt with the Packers:

Fan favorite and veteran Aaron Jones was released. Emanuel Wilson was the third running back and showed flashes of promise, but only just finished his first season and is still a relative unknown. Josh Jacobs was signed and is only 26 years old, so he appears set to be the primary running back for the time being. AJ Dillon has returned on a one year deal for the Packers.

Brian Gutekunst will likely use one of his 11 picks this year on a running back–if not two.They need depth now and for the future at the position, and with the release of Jones, it's clear Gutey values youth, particularly at an especially vulnerable position when it comes to age. Green Bay likely wouldn't have to spend a premium pick to draft Irving; he's likely a late day-two or early day-three pick. 

Irving could be used as a gadget-type running back to begin his career. His receiving prowess out of the backfield would give Green Bay a weapon they could put in motion as a receiver or use on jet sweeps, which Irving did a lot of while at Oregon. Jayden Reed was very effective in this role for Green Bay in 2023–and he could still have that role in 2024–but having another player in that role would cause confusion for opposing defenses, especially if both were on the field at the same time. It would also allow Reed a better chance at staying healthy, taking away some of the hits he endures as a runner. 

Irving takes care of the ball and has a career yards-per-rush of 6.2. On a team that prides itself on ball control, these are two attributes that will win over coaches. If Irving plays like his tape shows, and can replicate numbers like he did while at Oregon, he could be a very valuable addition to a Packer offense whose arrow is pointing up.  

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