Bucs Get A Running Back
April 27th, 2024
Bucs running back Bucky Irving, their fourth-round pick.
No, this Bucky is not from Wisconsin.
Bucky Irving, the little scatback, quick-as-hell running back from Oregon is now a Bucs running back. The versatile Irving, who caught as well as he could run, was a big part of the explosive Oregon offense led by Bo Nix.
Here is what the PFF tribe wrote about Irving:
… compact build gives way to his most alluring trait: balance. His ability to run through arm tackles and bounce off bigger hits can give him a long career in the NFL.
He doesn’t have great long speed and won’t be outrunning anyone at the sideline, but his footwork is quick, controlled and balanced. His burst is appropriate for his game. He also has very reliable hands out of the backfield, though his pass protection abilities are unreliable.
Irving is shifty and quick. But damn it, Joe is tired of people dinging running backs because they can’t block. If that is what you want from your running backs, then put a friggin’ guard in there to block.
The surprise here, the Bucs, with former Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen, passed on Kentucky running back Ray Davis.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:30 pm
not happy…….we have 1/2 dozen backs like this.
get a friggin bowling ball, trade for one or pick someone else!!
April 27th, 2024 at 1:31 pm
This guy is shifty and can catch the ball well. Great number 2 behind white.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:31 pm
Great addition, especially with his running style, quick cuts and acceleration, great vision and reads his blockers
April 27th, 2024 at 1:31 pm
NEGATIVES
— Size probably limits him from ever being a lead back.
— Poor play strength. Immediately stopped on first contact on almost every clean tackle attempt. Cannot move piles.
— Too often stops his feet at the second level and tries to make a move rather than trudging forward. Knows he cannot win through contact.
— Poor pass-blocker right now. Eyes and effort need some work; may never have the size to be consistently good at it.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:31 pm
I just don’t know about this one. What the heck man.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
5’9 192. This guy’s not going to break many tackles. Licht needs someone to help selecting a RB. Not good.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
“Cannot move piles.”
Um, you don’t draft a guy like this to move piles.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Speaks volumes that they did not take Ray Davis.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Surprise for me is that they didnt draft estime or allan this is probably my least favorite pick so far loved the other picks though.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Don’t like the pick. White’s best attribute is his pass receiving.
The guy you pick’s best attribute is his pass receiving.
Neither of the guys really are a great 3rd or 4th and short runner. Neither are a goal line guy.
Worse yet is that Irving came from a pure zone read so we are only projecting how well he will do in Coen’s Gap power run scheme.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Not getting rare ray Davis smh. Hopefully he works out but davis has starter traits
April 27th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Bucky would have been a good pick here IF Ray Davis and Audric Estime weren’t still on the board. Licht still shows he doesn’t know how to draft the best RB available in the draft. I still think Bucky improves our running game, but he was not best available.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
192lbs without home run speed. Okay… we need to hire an RB draft consultant
April 27th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
HE IS NOT SLOW.
Watch football, not the combine
He is extremely quick and explosive and produced-
14 G
186 ATT, 1,180 YDS (6.3 AVG), 11 TD
56 REC, 413 YDS (7.4 AVG), 2 TD
April 27th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Ugh..should have taken any other.
Shipley. Davis. Allen. Estime.
First bad pick Jason…
April 27th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Bucky Irving 🔥 Shiftiest RB in College Football….. Not sure what your all watching but check out the videos … he will average over 3 yards per run
April 27th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Geno … White lacks quick cuts and is not slippery through his offensive line.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Bucs finally draft a RB that can make people miss.
Finally.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Would have rather it had been Estime.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
I’m guessing they will just catapult him over the line since we still lack a back who can pound it up the middle in especially short yardage or goal line situations. idc who our Center is now, White lacks i side vision and power. Makes no sense the Bucs didn’t draft a power Running back to compliment White. Will criticize JL at this time on his RB evaluation and FA signings at this position and the times he allows Bowles to reach for Defense and interferes with draft need.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Blah. If he had breakaway speed, maybe. He’s a good back, but an odd choice to pair w/ White. Feels like he’s going to be a 3rd down back that plays as a slot WR in our new offensive scheme.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
would of rather had Trey Benson–could of made a package deal and moved up. Bucky had 2 1000+ yd seasons and was good in Oregon offense.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Unlike white, Bucky Irving runs with great vision. For his size, he a uncannny ability to make you miss and does a nice job breaking tackles. I think this was great pick in the fourth round. Some draft boards had him as a 3rd round pick. Not sure why some people are complaining.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:37 pm
Kinda reminds me of the muscle hamster Doug Martin.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:37 pm
White is a N/S runner but he isn’t know for making people miss.
Bucky Irving is a RB that makes people miss.
Never understood why people wanted the Bucs to draft a bruising RB so early in the draft.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:37 pm
Mo Kamara and TJ Tampa were better value here
April 27th, 2024 at 1:37 pm
This is a product of not taking a RB in Rd 3 like they should have
April 27th, 2024 at 1:38 pm
Ray Davis?
April 27th, 2024 at 1:38 pm
I was hoping the Bucs would draft a big back who could move the chains. This is a very disappointing pick…almost a throw away pick. If our offensive line is better, there is a chance our running back by committee approach can be effective. I wonder if the Bucs simply had names on a dart board for running backs and the dart landed on Irving.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Bucs love West Coast ballers, but I really like this pick watching some of Oregons game I remember saying he is small but why can’t Bucs running backs run through and break tackles like him.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Durango 95 Says: “5’9 192. This guy’s not going to break many tackles. Licht needs someone to help selecting a RB. Not good.”
The best RBs tend to be around 5’10”. You rarely find a running back 6′ or taller at the top of crop. Bucky Irving is just shy of 5’10”. Sure, he could add another 10 lbs, but I think he’ll be fine as the #2.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
They must really be thinking Tucker is going to be good this year. I believe we truly need a short yardage guy with the ability to break tackles and take it to the house. I wanted the kid outta ND for that reason.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Simeon4HOF Says:
This is a product of not taking a RB in Rd 3 like they should have
———-
100% Correct.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Diminutive lil guy, isn’t he? I admire his mental toughness and tenacity, and his playing speed is faster than his 40 time. On film, I saw pretty good vision.
What I like about this pick is now the Bucs can have some 2-back sets with RW and BI where the defense won’t know run or pass. I’d have preferred a more alpha RB1 pick, but if I were Coen, I’d use some 2 back sets now with Irving in the room.
Interesting pick, we’ll see how it plays out.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
And this was the Rd to get DB help
April 27th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Obviously, Lían approved this pick. He must have a game plan for him. We’ll have to wait and see.
LFG!!!!
April 27th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
OrlandoBucFAn, same here. Ah well.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
I don’t get this one. I guess they don’t want to project pass vs run with personnel. He and White fill the same niche. I was hoping for a guaranteed 3rd and 1 chain mover, not another down on 1st contact back
April 27th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
This is a running back who can actually see a hole and hit it. Been a long time since we had one of those. Cry all you want that he isn’t a big workout warrior like Rachaad White, he’s a real running back.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
Would rather have taken Tampa there, but I guess Bowels has to pick somewhere.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:42 pm
Maybe the idea is that with a stronger OL, White (who seems to get.dinged on vision and evasiveness) will be the short yardage back, and Bucky will be the option that keeps DCs guessing?
April 27th, 2024 at 1:43 pm
RB OVER EDGE
100 % wrong
April 27th, 2024 at 1:44 pm
You won’t see this guy running behind Barton till it’s to late. White is our big back.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
OK……They made a conscious decision to draft him over Ray Davis……we have Davis’ coach and Davis was available……ranked higher….
We have to trust that Coen signed off on this for a reason.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
Neither White, Edmonds, or this back can hit the hole with power up the middle. Not saying he doesn’t have talent and pros .. Just wondering how the 32nd ranked rushing Offense plans to get better yardage that way. Clearly Liams Offense is going to be different and maybe Barton will improve the inside push enough to offset that. Why we have 3 backs with similar traits is beyond me. This has the customary yearly Bowles reaching and Jason trying to clean it up later prints all over it
April 27th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
I am a bit surprised this pick wasn’t Ray Davis or Estime but the Bucs had plenty of intel on Ray Davis from Liam Coen and it seems that our GM wasn’t overly impressed.
Irving seems like a younger/healthier Chase Edmonds…
Perhaps they like what they see in Sean Tucker as he continues to develop.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Jeebs the Honey Bear Says: Bucky would have been a good pick here IF Ray Davis and Audric Estime weren’t still on the board.
Audric Estime ran a 4.71 in the 40 – no thanks.
Ray Davis is 5’8″ but not as shifty as Irving. Both has similar speed. Davis is better at breaking tackles but Irving has that “make you miss” factor. Irving is the better WR, probably the reason why the Bucs chose him over Davis.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:48 pm
YGBSM. Several big backs were still available (Estime, Allen, Davis & several others) and JL picks a ‘little scatback’? We sucked at running the ball in short-yardage situations last season, and that especially hurt us punching it in for TDs (Bucs scored a grand total of 8 rushing TDs last year, 2nd least in the league). Have trouble convincing myself that Bucky Irving is gonna help in situations like that, but hopefully he’ll prove me wrong.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:49 pm
I’m thinking we are going to see a lot more motion out of the backfield this year, which has me excited about playcalling, if not another diminutive RB
April 27th, 2024 at 1:49 pm
There goes Braelon Allen smh
April 27th, 2024 at 1:50 pm
I had him off my board due to his size. He does make sharp cuts but he is going to get broken before making much impact. Everyone has faults. Licht’s prime one is his RB evals and projections. With Estime and Davis there no less…
April 27th, 2024 at 1:50 pm
Jets just took Braelon Allen I think we should have went that route
April 27th, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Bucky or Estime….love me some Bucky … well doggone it now 6th rd is next
April 27th, 2024 at 1:57 pm
“ His ability to run through arm tackles and bounce off bigger hits can give him a long career in the NFL.”
Wait a second! Are running backs allowed to break tackles? I’m so confused.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:57 pm
Sharp cuts, makes people miss. He may be our new kick returner.
Run Bucky run is the new Run Michael run.
The way he makes people at the second level miss could translate to returns for TDs.
April 27th, 2024 at 1:58 pm
“If that is what you want from your running backs, then put a friggin’ guard in there to block.”
Joe – Love your work but maybe you’re getting punchy after very long, draft-weekend hours (couldn’t blame you, just watching it is hard enough). The equation is risk, reward, and numbers. If you have a back that can block, you can play 5 offensive linemen. If you move an O lineman back, the math says you have one less blocker up front so a free D lineman gets a running start at a big, slower-footed lineman who is a considerable obstacle to a running back trying to get downfield. RB’s frequently trip over QB’s feet so the odds of getting past a fully occupied, commercial grade refrigerator in the way are not good – uh, unless your planning on the twinkle-toed guard to break a long run. In either case, teams don’t like their starting QB to get concussed and the formula that has worked so far is putting a friggin’ RB back there who can keep the QB alive and at the same time, keep the season going. I’m sure he will be inundated with F’ bombs or the bench if he can’t pick up incoming fire.
April 27th, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Everyone who had a hand in this decision needs to pee in a bottle
April 27th, 2024 at 2:16 pm
Ok if you think so,
April 27th, 2024 at 2:18 pm
We drafted Rashad White’s minni me…can’t make this up
April 27th, 2024 at 2:36 pm
The guy is not going to survive in the NFL as a WR. Kick or punt returner at best.
April 27th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Looks like we’re gonna have an exciting offense this year… This guy might not be the guy we needed as a bruising, bowling ball back, but he will add to the offensive excitement… I see what they’re doing… I like it 🐣👍🏼🐣
April 27th, 2024 at 2:41 pm
What about two back sets with him and Rashad… and Mike and Chris… And a beefed up sturdy offensive line… Baker it could be looking really good back there
April 27th, 2024 at 2:49 pm
Davis will go to a division rival and be a thorn in our side for ears to come!
Thumbs down on this one!
April 27th, 2024 at 2:51 pm
Probably would have been there in the 6TH round
April 27th, 2024 at 2:53 pm
Go back and look at him at Oregon. Very reliable running and catching the ball, can take a check down and go 25-30 yards with ease. 4.5 is not slow and has great feet and vision. RB is so undervalued in the NFL….he is a good pick for what the Bucs do on offense. These guys that drop because of measurables are still ball players. I think Light has had his best draft top to bottom, well done
April 27th, 2024 at 3:02 pm
More than anything this signals to me that they believe in. Sean Tucker. Remember, he came off last year after the medical thing with basically no work in camp. And wasn’t ready for the season for that and other reasons. A full offseason and they may be convinced he can be a primary backup.
April 27th, 2024 at 3:06 pm
REMINDS ME OF A FEW PLAYERS FROM YESTERYEAR..ANYONE REMEMBER JOE WASHINGTON ? ,TERRY METCALF ?, BILLY “WHITE SHOES” JOHNSON ? ( SPEED KILLS-( RB/RETURNER ? )MAYBE..
April 27th, 2024 at 3:07 pm
A major head scratcher that has Cohen written all over it. Look, I’m all about these lil june bug ‘scat-backs’ who can flat-out flyyyyy, BUT as soon as the Bucs picked this kid, they said that his ‘numbers’ tested basically, HORRIBLE at the combine. Like, WHAAAATTT!? We just totally, WASTED a great opportunity to completely overhaul, & rebuild our OL for the future thru this ridiculously, LOADED draft class… I mean, the teams who drafted the BYU & UCONN Linemen, ALL received A to A+’s for doing so, in these later rounds. That would’ve made a whole lot more sense to me. I feel like, we really wasted those picks at Nicke/S and RB… Opportunity, LOST.
April 27th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Gettting STRONG Alvin Kamara vibes here. This dudes film is making me stiff. Running behind Graham Barton too this might be actually legit
April 27th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
Well, this draft is over. Got one guy to play center. The rest are losers.
April 27th, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Not thr draft I was expecting at all…thought we were committed to fixing a historically bad rush game.
Drafting one left tackle and one pint sized scat back isn’t going to move the needle much
April 27th, 2024 at 3:46 pm
I think we all wanted a big RB but this kid can make people miss. Caught the most passes of all RBs, and like 450 carries with only 1 fumble. Seems to have good vision, balance, and can hit the hole. Hoping for good things.
Very happy with this draft!
April 27th, 2024 at 3:54 pm
See it now… BUCKY BUC
April 27th, 2024 at 3:56 pm
All the salty fans for us not going pass rush when we have Todd Bowles the highest blitzing coach in the league lmao
April 27th, 2024 at 3:57 pm
I’m guessing they took him over Sweet Baby Ray, because of age playing a major factor, and the name. Ray Davis is already OLD. And, there was no other place for a “Bucky” other than the “Bucs.” So, it just had to be… “Bucky The Buc.”
April 27th, 2024 at 3:59 pm
BTW… Bucky Buc can catch and is shifty… He’ll be fine fun to watch!
April 27th, 2024 at 3:59 pm
“Hopein1hand” – YOU have a BOARD!? Lol
April 27th, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Moron casual fan comments. You get who’s available for what your needs are.
Idiots here commenting about who Bucs should take when they aren’t even available to pick. Good thing you clowns don’t get to make choices
April 27th, 2024 at 4:12 pm
I guess when he plays bad it’ll be “Bucky Buckin Buc,” of when he runs square into Barton’s backside it’ll be “Bucky Buc Buckin.”
April 27th, 2024 at 4:36 pm
You guys act like Warrick Dunn never picked up 3 and 1.
Scatbacks with good vision can do well in the goal line as well. Dunn scored 64 times and that’s playing with allstott many of those seasons who was used as our primary short yardage guy ofc.
April 27th, 2024 at 4:40 pm
Bucky’s
Coolest gas station/”convenience store” in existence. If you see one on the highway – pull over and check it out. Its like WaWas on quadruple steroids……
Great food there….
Highly recommended
Bucky the RB?
Not so sure about that one….
April 27th, 2024 at 5:36 pm
He has the same measurable as rams rb Kyren Williams
Hmmm
I’m coming around I think the light just came on
April 27th, 2024 at 5:47 pm
It all makes since now. Coen was with the rams when they drafted Kyren Williams
Williams identical 5’9″ and 195 lbs. Bucky a slightly faster 40
If we get the next Kyren Williams I won’t be a bit upset
April 27th, 2024 at 6:25 pm
Dear Bob Buc,
Trolling or misunderstanding?
Let’s assume misunderstanding. Joe’s suggestion meant putting a guard back there just like Leftwich often deployed a 3rd Tackle at TE. I imagine Joe suggested a guard for this role because they’re often the more fluid offensive lineman in the old NFL style. The 3rd guard just reports as an eligible player, the same as our 3rd tackle has done for lining up as a TE many times.
April 27th, 2024 at 7:50 pm
Waste
April 27th, 2024 at 11:31 pm
Looking at Irving’s and Davis’ highlights it seems to me Irving was picked to protect White starting spot because Davis would sue enough take it from him. Bucky is cute and shifty got some speed but Davis is definitely better and more than shifty enough. Looks like coaches protecting their decision to make White something he’s not, a starting caliber rb. The fact the coach who worked with Davis wasn’t allowed to draft him says a lot about Licht and Blowles.
April 29th, 2024 at 12:37 am
The fact Coen didn’t put his foot down and insist on drafting him may say something about Ray Davis work ethic or other issues that made Bucky a much better fit here.