What Bucky Irving Does for the Buccaneers

The Bucs found Rachaad White’s complement in the 4th round.

The Buccaneers sought out an upgrade at RB2 and think they’ve found it via Oregon’s Bucky Irving with No. 125 of the fourth round.

Rachaad White will be the undisputed bell cow for Tampa after his 2023 breakout, but he definitely needed some more reliable backup after iffy play from guys like Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker.

Can Bucky provide that needed change of pace for the Bucs? Let’s examine.

Bucky Irving Career Stats

Irving, a former 4-star recruit, consistently produced in two seasons for the Ducks and one for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Despite not starting any of the 12 games he played in his freshman year at Minnesota, he still led the team in all-purpose yards (772 yards, 4 TDs).

After transferring to Oregon in 2022, he took center stage. His sophomore season saw him carry the ball 156 times for 1,058 yards and 5 touchdowns and record 31 catches for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. He even threw a TD pass as well!

Last season went even better with 186 carries, 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 56 receptions for 413 yards and 2 scores. His receptions led all of FBS, and he earned second-team All-PAC-12.

In 26 total starts, he averaged 6.2 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per receptions — very healthy numbers which speak to his versatility.

Athletic Testing

Irving is a classic case of a professional running back trapped in an inferior athlete’s body. Irving maximizes what the good Lord gave him, but ultimately he’s smaller (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) and not very electric (4.55 40-yard dash, 2.67 20-yard).

The RAS is going to scare people, but it’s worth noting that being a superior athlete is not as important as running back as it is other positions. Per MockDraftable, Irving’s spiderweb has a lot of similarity to some players with recent success in the league, like Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren, Los Angeles Rams’ Kyren Williams, and noted Falcons enemy Devonta Freeman.

Is his ceiling capped? Probably, but it’s not a death knell for his future success like it would other positions.

What Type of Player Is Bucky Irving?

Here’s the biggest takeaway from Irving’s tape: he understands how to play the running back position.

He’s not explosive but he’s very shifty with quick feet and smooth body control. He sports some good bulk and runs with a low center of gravity, outstanding contact balance for his size, and sets up defenders with subtle shakes or savvy moves. That all adds up to him forcing the second-most missed tackles (136!) in the Power 5 over the last two years. He’s just massively frustrating to get down on the turf, and he doesn’t fumble (one in more than 500 touches) and rarely runs for negative gains.

As most of you likely remember, that was a massive issue last year for anyone not named Rachadd White, and that’s also considering he was one of the league’s best at avoiding negative plays. The Bucs now roster two players like that.

He displays consistently good field vision and decision-making, which allows him to quickly process and string together moves to maximize outputs.

On top of it all, he’s arguably the draft’s most dynamic receiving back. He utilizes soft hands and understands how to both run designed routes adequately and simply serve as a QB’s safety valve. He even has some kick return experience with Oregon (22.6 yards per return on 14 returns).

Now he’s not a pile pusher, nor does he have the build to likely be anything more than a complimentary piece. Since he’s a Day 3 selection, that’s not a particularly huge deal, but it could mean more future investment at the position to fill the gaps in responsibilities he simply cannot handle at the next level.

Conclusion

Instead of thunder and lighting, the Bucs went with lightning and even more lightning. Irving’s quickness and wiggle are assets that will allow him succeed beyond what the blocking gives him, but he’s decisive and understands how to execute plays in a zone scheme — which the Bucs will run a lot more of this year.

Irving isn’t necessarily what fans were looking for, and the lackluster athleticism will get people groaning, but Jason Licht saw simply a good-ass running back who produced at a Power 5 school and put up impressive tape while doing so.

Irving will get snaps early on to prove himself as White’s primary spell, but it will be all up to him to keep Edmonds and any other running back on the pre-season roster off his tail.