Buccaneers' fourth-round selection Bucky Irving took the NFL by storm in 2024 with rare vision and sudden change of direction skills that left defenders reeling. His ability to make defenders miss in the open field ignited the Bucs' ground attack and set the tone for the offense as a whole. He finished the 2024 season as the highest-graded rookie according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a mark of 90.8. Irving came in at number-58 in PFF's Top 101 NFL players from 2024 and he is the only running back with a 90-plus grade in both rushing and receiving.
Tampa Bay's 5.3 rushing yards per attempt this season set a new franchise record as did its 2,536 total rushing yards. The Bucs rushed for 100-plus yards in 14 of 17 (82.4%) games in 2024 after doing so in just nine of 34 (26.5%) games over the previous two seasons. Bucky Irving's 37.1% missed tackle percentage led the NFL and his 76 missed tackles forced ranked first among rookies. The 2024 PFWA All-Rookie Team Selection led the rookie class in scrimmage yards (1,514), rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (eight).
Irving's franchise record 5.4 yards per rush attempt average is the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with 200-plus rush attempts in a season, trailing only Adrian Peterson (5.6 in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 in 2002). His 1,514 yards from scrimmage is the second-most by a rookie in team history, trailing only Doug Martin (1,926 in 2012).
Irving gained an additional 609 yards after forcing missed tackles in 2024, second-most in the league behind only Derrick Henry (753) per Next Gen Stats. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry on rushes outside the tackles (fifth-most among running backs, minimum of 50 such carries) and 5.3 yards per carry on rushes inside the tackles (second-most among running backs) this season. Irving, Saquon Barkley, and Jahmyr Gibbs were the only running backs in the NFL to average over 5.0 yards per carry on rushes to each direction in 2024 (minimum of 50 rushes each direction).
Counter gap runs with pullers out in front became a staple in the Bucs' rushing attack in 2024, a system that Irving ran at Oregon with a high frequency, and he thrived once again. Irving was patient in letting blocks develop and quickly accelerated through the holes and created something out of nothing with unique cutting ability. He ran with a tremendous amount of contact balance and showcased the ability to get skinny and squeeze through tight spaces, where the majority of rushers would have lost yardage. Defenses had to account for Irving when he stepped on the gridiron – the mark of a playmaker. Irving just scratched the surface in 2024 and will undoubtedly have an impressive encore in 2025.
