NFL Execs, Coaches And Scouts Say Bucky Irving Is No Top-10 RB
July 7th, 2025
This is what happens when the league knows you run behind a tremendous offensive line.
And it’s also what happens when allegedly respected people aren’t paying close enough attention.
What does Bucky Irving have to do to get the proper respect around the NFL?
As a Bucs rookie last season, Irving ranked fourth in the league in yards per carry at 5.4, a new Bucs record for a full-time running back. And he ranked 10th in total rushing yards. Irving also ranked second in the NFL in catch percentage (90.4) and was among the yards-after-catch leaders and yards-after-contact leaders.
That’s a top-10 running back, right? Apparently not.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN is back with results from his annual survey of many dozens of league executives, coaches and scouts, an exercise to rank the best 10 players at each position.
Running backs were released today and Irving was not on the top-10. He was the first honorable mention after James Cook at No. 8, Joe Mixon at No. 9 and Alvin Kamara at No. 10.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “Combination of speed, quicks and contact balance. Heck of a runner. Rarely goes down on first contact.” — NFL coordinator
In all, 21 running backs were acknowledged. None were named Rachaad White.
Mixon? Kamara? C’mon. Irving is in another league, a better league.
July 7th, 2025 at 8:41 pm
Heck.. Rachaad is better than Kamara at this point.
July 7th, 2025 at 8:56 pm
News flash: It’s ranking season and the people who are paid to have opinions are having opinions. And people are disagreeing. Shocker.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:06 pm
Ratings are not grounded in stats it’s in production. Stats are for lazy sports writers which explains why there are so few of them
July 7th, 2025 at 9:14 pm
I think Bucky is a top RB……but at the same time I take these so-called anylysts opinion with a grain of salt…….l believe Josh Williams is similar to Bucky with more speed. We drafted rookies with a ton of speed, we also signed UDFA’s with speed. I love the direction of this team …….keep doing what you doing. There’s a bright future in Tampa for this football team……. I’m all in with this team.
Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move
July 7th, 2025 at 9:17 pm
I don’t why anyone cares about these rankings.
He’s coming off a rookie year where he was a part-time player for most of the year. He was awesome, and would obviously easily be in the top 10 on my list, but people want to see him do it again before putting him over more established names. I personally have no issues with that.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:31 pm
Baker used to play with Joe Mixon at Oklahoma. Joe Mixon has been a solid RB for 7 or 8 years. Good receiver and good blocker too. Bucky is a more exciting runner and maybe a more gifted runner too. But he’s gonna have to do it a few more years I think if he wants to get on Mixon’s or Kamara’s level. Of course with those guys getting older we’d rather have Bucky on our team. We’ve got an awful lot of good young players.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:34 pm
Kamara is a has been. His ranking is based on his past reputation — not on execution or even potential at this point of his career.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:43 pm
Bucky isn’t a issue with us
Our problem is containing Bijan Robinson
He’s a thorn in our backside, we need to game plan him
July 7th, 2025 at 10:02 pm
“This is what happens when the league knows you run behind a tremendous offensive line.”
I know you then qualify that by saying people aren’t paying attention but this is the exact line I would use when talking about Grizzard as a HC next year.
“This is what happens when the league knows you have a tremendous OL, a top 10 QB and a loaded arsenal of weapons.”
July 7th, 2025 at 10:11 pm
I’m with Kenton. I roll my eyes when people rank any player who has done it for one year as one of the best in the game. Jayden Daniels is another one who is being overhyped WAY too early in his career. Do it for 3-4-5 years and then lets see where the chips fall.
July 7th, 2025 at 10:22 pm
How many league executives are going to put much time or thought into answering a Jeremy Fowler survey? I hope Todd Licht, or any team employee, doesn’t waste any time on something like that.
July 7th, 2025 at 10:52 pm
I’m sorry. When was Kamara still good?
July 7th, 2025 at 11:10 pm
As always these smart guys never give buc players the recognition they deserve. Not that this one really matters, but post the top 10 list and their ranking in the categories you mentioned. That would be interesting to see
July 7th, 2025 at 11:11 pm
Good. The more disrespect the better.
Joes, find some journalist who will chastise the pass defense. That will get things going!
jk
July 7th, 2025 at 11:23 pm
Brandon, Kamara ran for 950 and 500 receiving. 8 TDs with a pretty poor team. He’s totaled 7000 yards rushing and 5000 yards receiving in his career and looks like he’s going to be good for a few more years. I can see how someone might not put Bucky in front of him just yet. Actually Kamara had 550 receiving last year so he had over 1500 total yards. We’d rather have Bucky though.
July 7th, 2025 at 11:25 pm
What are people talking about? Kamara had just under 1000 yards rushing and another 500 yards receiving last year. He missed a few games, was an elite runner under a last place team that had no QB to speak of. And he is only 29 years old. When exactly did he become washed up?
July 7th, 2025 at 11:40 pm
Bucky Irving is unique among running backs today the way he changes direction sometimes multiple times within the same run and seems to always make positive yardage. Rarely tackled for loss. The only thing he lacks is breakaway speed or long speed. He gets caught from behind. That’s why we won’t see many runs beyond 40 or so yards. Nevertheless top 10 easily more likely closer to top 5.
July 7th, 2025 at 11:47 pm
Maybe part of the reason he is caught from behind is because by the time he stops zigging and zagging he begins to run out of gas. But he makes big play after big play.
July 8th, 2025 at 12:10 am
It’s cool that we have The Force. JBF! Awesome stuff.
When there is a glaring issue – whatever the issue, be it Bucky disrespect, PFF grades, poor pass defense, Baker Mayfield disrespect – JBF is here to do everything possible to correct the flawed thinking in the twitterverse. Hammer the point over and over. Eventually it either makes a difference or at least you did everything you could trying.
Which is why I’m loving the increasing focus on the horrid and regressing pass defense that is less correlated to injuries and more correlated to Todd reporting to himself, without realizing the fox guarding the henhouse is himself.
To quote Gene Deckerhoff, “You go Joe! You go Joe!”
July 8th, 2025 at 1:13 am
All the voters doing these off-season lists know who is coaching the Bucs and how many jobs he is trying to do while getting unbridled love from his players, as they botch game after game against the pass. Get used to it.
July 8th, 2025 at 1:30 am
This one is fine Joe. Lets keep the league in blissful ignorance till it’s too late.
More bulletin board material as well.
Go Bucs!
July 8th, 2025 at 3:02 am
i think the team has such a more well rounded vibe with bucky here…
the team seems so ready to roll and be a top tier nfc team…
and the vibe is bucky…
in past years there’s always been a hole in the backfield…or at least a feeling like there sort of is…
now we go into this season 3 deep at the spot…and i think we picked up some rookie who also has potential…
now just fortify the D, try to stay healthy, and lets get ready to roll…
go bucky go
run bucky run
score bucky score