The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found plenty of value in the 2024 NFL Draft.
They took a flyer on Bucky Irving, a hard-nosed running back out of Oregon, and it didn’t take long before he made an impact.
Now, he’s about to enter his second year in the league, and all signs point to him being the starter.
Notably, that’s why he wants to stick it to all teams that passed on him multiple times and made him slip to the fourth round.
When asked about that, the former No. 125 pick admitted that he had a list of teams he wanted to make a statement against:
“I kept that anger and used it as motivation,” noted Irving. “I was pissed. I was waiting for three days, so just being there and seeing everybody get drafted, it lit a fire in me. Because I basically talked to all of those teams and then seeing how they viewed me, anytime I get a chance to go against any of those teams, I punish them for not calling my name on draft night.”
That’s the type of motivation that can make a player great, provided it’s used to get better.
The Bucs will have one of the best offenses in the game this season, and some believe they are a legitimate dark horse to make plenty of noise in the NFC.
Some even believe they have what it takes to be the last team standing in the conference.
Irving will play a big part in that.
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs will continue to run a pass-heavy offense, and that should be the case for as long as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. are there, especially now that they’ve also added Emeka Egbuka to the mix.
However, a strong running game will continue to be a quarterback’s best friend, and with Irving playing with a sense of purpose and trying to make a statement on every carry, this team could have a well-balanced and efficient offense this season.
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