Bucky Irving is officially the hardest player to tackle in the NFL

The NFL is finally realizing something that Oregon fans knew all along: Bucky Irving is elite.

The rookie running back is playing some of the best football of his young career and he has become the best first-year player at the position in the league.

Not only is Irving the league's top rookie running back right now, but he's doing it all while splitting carries with Rachaad White. Oh, and he leads the league in a really impressive category: missed tackles forced/.

That's right, Irving is officially the toughest player to tackle in the NFL right now.

Just eight games into his NFL career and he's already making waves. Irving is top-30 in the league in rushing yards with 395 and his 5.2 yards per carry average is up there among the best backs in the league.

Not only os he rushing the ball effectively, but he also has 20 receptions for another 164 yards. On the year, he has accounted for 559 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. Those types of numbers are insane for a rookie back through eight games and the fact that he has a missed tackles forced rate of 44.7% is also eye-popping. This kid is good.

Right now, Tampa Bay might have the best running back room in the NFL outside of Detroit with Irving leading the way along with White and Sean Tucker. This trio has been effective this season.

We'll check back in at the end of the year to see if Irving can both surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark and maintain his spot atop the missed tackles forced category.