Hey, Packer Nation. I know his size/weight/speed combo is outside of what Green Bay normally goes for and a lot of you are pouring dirt on his grave post-combine, but I am here to argue that Bucky Irving is a perfect fit for the Packers RB room. Lets go through the pros and cons together, shall we?
Bucky Never Goes Down
As I started watching the RBs in this class, Bucky’s clips immediately jumped off the screen to me because he simply refuses to go down. No matter what play you’re watching, you will see the defenders converge on him and you form an expectation of where he’ll be tackled. He never goes down in that spot. He ALWAYS finds a way to 2-3 more yards, often more. It’s so consistent it begins to look like a super power.
Oregon RB Bucky Irving
— Mike Rallis (@TheMikeRallis) February 26, 2024
Ridiculous stop-on-a-dime change of direction, balance, quickness, acceleration & good hands.
No matter his size, hard to imagine he’s not a weapon for someone in the National Football League next year pic.twitter.com/FIYaqrRUvJ
For a Packers team that lost in the Divisional round because of their inability to convert in the short-yardage game, adding a guy who can move the chains in key situations would be really nice.
More Quick than Fast
Bucky isn’t going to blow your hair back with his straight-line speed. Bucky is more quick than fast, this is reflected in the 10-yard split in his 40 time, he’s explosive and elite in space, which is where he beats you. There are RBs who are faster, but if you’re trying to bring him down in the open field, you’re going to miss.
Just a reminder that while Bucky Irving might not run 40 yards in a straight line as fast as you hoped, he’s still slicker than oil!
— Matt FF Dynasty (@MattFFDynasty) March 2, 2024
pic.twitter.com/K3GDkPSRY5
RB @BuckyIrving #0
— Charlie Prio (@CharliePrio1) February 27, 2024
Impossible to touch in the open field. His ability to make an explosive play out of a checkdown is something teams will love.#NFL #NFLCombine #CFB #Oregon pic.twitter.com/xAWShSovXi
Look at his fluidity in this jump cut:
Bucky Irving Off Tackle#NFLCombine2024 pic.twitter.com/FrGq9b4jUv
— WalkTheMock (@WalkTheMock) March 2, 2024
Hands on Hands on Hands
Ladies and Gentlemen, Bucky Irving can CATCH the ball. The drills at the combine are illustrative on this score. Look how natural he is in these situations. Coach LaFleur can think of a million ways to utilize this skill. Trust me.
Bucky Irving choice route pic.twitter.com/2VmCcM2wLq
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 2, 2024
Bucky Irving is going to catch a lot of passes in the NFL running this exact pattern. His quickness is evident.pic.twitter.com/OSXxKFOrGk
— Christian Zwick (@Zwick_Christian) March 2, 2024
Bucky Has Packer Character
One of my favorite attributes of the new-era Packers is their selflessness. I’ve already written about how Romeo Doubs exemplifies this tradition and I think Bucky Irving would do the same. Listen to this outstanding answer he gave to the question “What was you favorite college memory”
I asked @BuckyIrving if he was the best receiving back in the class?
— Dave Heilman (@DynastyDorks) March 1, 2024
He said he doesn’t like to compare himself to others.
What do you think ?
Here is his response to my question about his favorite college moment at @oregonfootball pic.twitter.com/0BwzVbP1oC
A guy who thinks of others and doesn’t puff himself up?? Oh, yes. He can be a Packer all day long.
Tape over Everything
If you spend more than 5 minutes on Packers Twitter, you know they have a “type” and guys with a poor RAS, like Bucky has, aren’t likely to be Packers. But just turn on the tape and tell me that guy can’t play for us. All he does is give 100% on every play and help his team win. There is absolutely a role for him in Green Bay and the Packers would be wise to put him on the squad.
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