Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl. He played college football at West Virginia.
Early years
Irvin attended Stockbridge High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, until transferring to Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia right before his junior year. He dropped out of high school during the middle of his junior year and instead attained his GED.
College career
Irvin attended Butler Community College before transferring to Mt. San Antonio College. While at Mt. San Antonio, Irvin had 72 tackles, 16 sacks, three forced fumbles and a touchdown on a fumble recovery. He was named a JC Athletic Bureau first team All-American and was the all-California Region III player of the year.
Irvin transferred to West Virginia University in 2010. He finished the season second in the nation in sacks with 14. He was a second team all-Big East selection and an honorable mention All-American by SI.com. Irvin returned to West Virginia University after turning professional, earning his bachelor's degree in 2018.
Professional career
Irvin was one of 58 collegiate defensive linemen to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended as a defensive end and completed all of the required combine drills. His time of 4.50s in the 40-yard dash was the fastest among all defensive linemen. Irvin opted to have another attempt at the 40-yard dash and surprised many scouts and analysts by running a 4.43s. On March 14, 2012, Irvin was arrested for destruction of property after allegedly tearing a magnetic sign off of a Jimmy John's delivery vehicle in Morgantown, West Virginia. On March 16, 2012, he attended West Virginia's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only perform positional drills. During the draft process, he attended private workouts and meetings with multiple teams, including the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, and Cleveland Browns. On April 24, 2012, the charges of destruction of property against Irvin were dropped. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Irvin was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. While he showed superior speed and athleticism, many analysts and draft experts had him a second round draft prospect due to his numerous off the field issues he had throughout his youth and time at West Virginia. He was ranked the fifth best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks selected Irvin in the first round (15th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He was the highest selected West Virginia Mountaineer since Adam Jones in 2005. Irvin was also the first defensive end and fourth defensive lineman selected in 2012.
The Seahawks selection of Irvin surprised many scouts and analysts and drew major criticism as no major mock drafts, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Mike Mayock, and Mel Kiper, had Irvin being selected in the first round. It was reported that Irvin had quietly become a top prospect and at least seven teams had him ranked as a top 15 talent.
2012
On May 7, 2012, the Seattle Seahawks signed Irvin to a fully guaranteed four-year, $9.34 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $4.92 million.
Irvin entered training camp getting first team reps at the Seahawks' hybrid Leo (defensive end/outside linebacker) position while Chris Clemons was in a contract hold out. Once Clemons returned in July, Irvin reverted to the second team defense. Head coach Pete Carroll named him the backup defensive end behind Clemons to start the regular season, with Red Bryant occupying the other side.