Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon (Junior)
Valentin
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Strengths :
- Good athlete
- Patient
- Vision
- Ball security
Weaknesses :
- Size
- Ability to break tackles
- Pass protection
RB Bucky Irving
— Valentin (@ScoutValentin) January 5, 2024
Fluid mover with excellent balance and agility.
Has the quickness and the speed to make big plays.
Very patient, good vision.
Good elusiveness.
He lacks of power, light frame.
Bounce too much outside.
Bad pass-blocking ability.
Late 4th - Early 5th round talent pic.twitter.com/ZNa187Czze
TTProfil
Bucky Irving is an intriguing athlete because he possesses quickness due to a low center of gravity and quality footwork. He's not just "more quick than fast"; he's fast and also has good acceleration, giving him the ability to make big plays. He has good body control, balance, and excellent agility, making him a "fluid mover." The weakness of his physique is clearly his lack of power, and his light frame will be problematic in the NFL.
ESPN lists Irving at 5'10 - 195 lbs, but I am 99% sure that he will drop below 5'9 and the weight will be lower as well during the draft process.
[Update] : Irving was measured at 5'9 and 192 lbs at the combine
Irving is very patient behind his offensive line, but he can be too patient at times instead of taking what's in front of him. His tendency to bounce outside has hurt him several times, and he doesn't always adjust his game when he can't find a solution on the inside. He has good vision and is capable of making good cuts in the backfield, so it's essential for him to simplify his game in the NFL because he lacks the physical ability, due to his lack of power, to break tackles consistently. He's not necessarily a running back who naturally and consistently lowers his shoulder. It's worth noting that he has good balance upon contact when taking lanes, but it's important to differentiate between the ability to break a tackle and not falling easily; to me, these are two different things. I haven't seen juke moves, spins, or stiff arms from him that could consistently allow him to avoid tackles in the NFL.
Bucky Irving has excellent ball protection (0 fumbles in his career). I particularly like the fact that he brings his second arm to protect the ball when he's in the red zone on inside runs. He does a good job separating his upper and lower body and doesn't lose speed or agility.
Irving has a promising contribution to the passing game but is currently limited. He's primarily used on flat routes, screens, or pop passes. He's had a few wheel routes but without significant positive outcomes for his team. He's had some alignments in the wide or slot positions with simple curl routes, but again, without much consequence. He's a fairly precise route runner, and we can see potential for improvement in his route tree. He has sure hands, decent ball tracking, but a limited catch radius.
Even though he was used very little by Oregon in pass protection, I've seen enough to conclude that he's not proficient in this area. He positions his hands poorly, lacks arm length, and the power to sustain his blocks.
Bucky Irving is an interesting running back because he has good versatility, but his lack of power, which he won't be able to compensate for even with significant muscle gain, along with his mediocre pass protection, means he won't have a consistent impact on the field. I only see him as a rotational running back in an outside zone run scheme.
I evaluate Bucky Irving as a 5th round talent.