Bucky Irving NFL Draft Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’10″ (u)
Weight: 194 (u)
School: Oregon
Bucky Irving 2024 NFL Draft Profile, Team Fits
Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving is one of the most dynamic players in college football. COVID cut his senior year of high school, but he was still a high enough recruit to commit to Minnesota. He put up over 700 yards from scrimmage as a true freshman, averaging 5.5 yards a touch. Irving then transferred to Oregon, where as a Sophomore he had over 1,000 yards rushing, eight total touchdowns, and averaged over seven yards a touch. He was the Holiday Bowl MVP with a casual 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Bucky built on his 2022 campaign with a standout 2023 season. His 1593 yards from scrimmage led all Pac-12 running backs, and he was lightning in a bottle for the offense. 13 touchdowns was enough to earn Second Team All-Pac-12 honors, and he decided to declare for the 2024 NFL draft after the season.
Watch: Bucky Irving Film Study
Strengths
- One of the fastest players in college football
- Adept at turning big hits into glancing blows, exceptional contact balance for his frame
- Proficient pass catcher, not just on check downs but as a functional receiver all over the field
- Jump cuts that make fleas jealous
- Finds lanes in the open field to accelerate
- Accelerates like a slot car, 0-60 in a flash
Weaknesses
- If he’s 194, Bryce Young is 6’4″
- Pass blocks like Ryan Gosling covers receivers in Remember the Titans
- His role could be limited to gadget touches in some coach’s systems
- Change of direction severely limited at top speeds
- Will never get more than 20 carries a game
NFL Comparison: De’Von Achane
Team Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers
Bottom Line on Bucky Irving in the 2024 NFL Draft
The modern NFL is built around speed, space, and more speed. There are some teams in desperate need of a playmaker out of the backfield, and Bucky Irving is a great target for those teams on late day two or early day three of the NFL draft. He fits perfectly into the Shanahan rushing system that is focused on quick backs hitting open spaces, but any creative offensive coordinator can use his skillset. While he may be best suited to be the 1b in an offense, he’s the perfect mold of the modern scat back. If De’Von Achane can get 800 rushing yards on 100 carries, then Bucky can be a key cog in an effective offense.
Bucky Irving Dynasty Outlook
All things considered, Irving is being underrated in the dynasty community. Especially after seeing the meteoric rise of Keaton Mitchell before his injury, Irving should be on everyone’s radar. Landing spot and draft capital will decide how high to take him, but as it stands now he’s comfortably an early second round pick in rookie drafts. If he goes to the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round, he will catapult into the late first of many people’s rankings.
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Main Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
