Bucky Irving 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

Bucky Irving 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile

Position: RB

School: Oregon 

Class: Junior 

Date of Birth: August 19, 2002

Height: 5-9  Weight: 192 lbs

Athletic Testing

Bio

Bucky Irving, whose given name is Mar’Keise Irving, dominated his high school career at Hillcrest High in Illinois. As a junior, he rushed for 1,733 yards and 22 touchdowns. His senior season was canceled due to COVID-19, but Irving finished his high school career with 3,264 rushing yards. He was graded as a four-star prospect and ranked as the No. 9 running back in the nation in the class of 2021, according to Rivals. Irving committed to Minnesota over offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, and others.

As a true freshman, Irving was part of a full-blown committee backfield. He finished second on the team with 699 rushing yards, while his contributions in the passing game and as a kick returner were enough to lead Golden Gophers in all-purpose yardage. Following his impressive freshman season, Irving made the move to Oregon where he split carries with Noah Whittington in 2022. In 13 games, Irving led the Ducks with 1,058 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns on 156 carries. He added another 299 yards and three scores on 31 receptions.

Irving continued to ascend in his 2023 junior campaign, again leading the way with 1,180 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 186 attempts. His usage in the passing game soared to an impressive 56 receptions for 413 yards and another pair of touchdowns. That was enough to earn second-team all-PAC-12.

College Stats

Bucky Irving College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference

Positives

+Patience

+Vision 

+Agility 

+Creativity 

+Elusiveness 

+Receiving Skills: Quality routes & reliable hands

+95 career receptions (56 in 2023)

+10.9% reception share (2023)

+Early career production 

Negatives

-Undersized 

-Lacks breakaway speed 

-Pass Protection 

-15.9% touchdown share (2023)

Highlight Reel

Archetype: Satellite

NFL Comp: James White

Yards Per-Formance Score: 59.7 (58th-percentile)

Draft Projection: Day 3

Bottom Line:

Bucky Irving is a fun running back to watch. He is quick and shifty with impressive lateral agility and the creativity to make plays even when nothing is there. He is a patient runner behind the line of scrimmage who displays good vision and instincts to work his way to the next level. Once he gets to the open field, Irving is one of the more elusive running backs in the class. Not only can he make you miss with wiggle, but he has great contact balance that makes him harder to tackle than your typical 195-pound back.

With that said, Irving is not necessarily a true home-run hitter. His 4.55 40-time at the NFL Combine was very underwhelming considering his size. If you’re going to be a small running back in the NFL, you better at least be fast. He is also not the guy you’re going to call upon in short-yardage and goal line opportunities. His lack of size and power make him less than effective in those situations.

Irving makes up for that, though, in the receiving game. He displayed excellent hands and versatility at Oregon. He got a lot of check-downs and swing patterns, but he did move out wide or to the slot on occasion. Irving is comfortable running routes from any alignment. He will need to improve his pass protection, though, if he is to become a featured player on passing downs at the next level.

In the NFL, Bucky Irving projects as a rotational back who is capable as both a runner and a receiver. It’s hard to see a clear path to fantasy relevance, though, with the undersized frame and disappointing athletic testing. Irving won’t be much of a consideration in rookie drafts.

NEXT: Dylan Laube 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

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