*****The Jeffrey Bassa Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

The Chiefs trade up to select LB Jeffrey Bassa out of Oregon at No. 156 overall.

The No. 4 linebacker (and No. 99 overall player) on Dane Brugler's board, Bassa was the Ducks' green dot in 2024.

He tallied 236 tackles, 13.5 TFLs and seven PBUs in 55 career games.

— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) April 26, 2025

Jeffrey Bassa is an aggressive LB. Hybrid type. Tackles well. Blitzes well. Covers well. Relentless and mean. Perfect fit for Schwartz. #Browns pic.twitter.com/fxjw67Jo5j

— Lance Reisland (Coach Riz) (@LanceReisland) April 25, 2025

Brett Veach cooking with GAS man he is absolutely crushing this draft. Jeffrey Bassa in round 5 is insane value

— Anand Nanduri (@NanduriNFL) April 26, 2025

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Chieftain

Brett "Denzel Ward is my Sleeper Superstar" Kollman ridiculed this pick to the point of mockery. This is the same guy who raved about the CEH pick, btw.
Kollman is turning into Generation Z 's Mel Kiper.

He also thought Princely was going at the end of round 1...

[kccrow]

Here's from Dane Brugler's Draft Guide:

LB4 Jeffrey Bassa Oregon, 4SR

HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT NUM
Salt Lake City, UT Kearns Sep 20, 2002 22.59 6012 228 #2

BACKGROUND: Jeffrey Bassa, the second of four children (and only boy), was born and raised in Salt Lake City. At age 12, his family relocated to
Baton Rouge, La., for a few years before returning to Utah after Bassa finished seventh grade. His younger sister (Nabila) battled cancer when she
was young — he says watching her go through treatments was a defining moment in his life and "helped him become a better brother and man
today." (Nabila's cancer went into remission.)

Bassa grew up a basketball-focused athlete and didn't play organized football as a kid. He was playing basketball in eighth grade at Kearns Junior
High when the varsity football coach convinced him to try out for the high school football team. Bassa enrolled at Kearns High School in Salt Lake
City, where he was a multisport athlete. As a freshman, he made the football team, and it was "love at first sight" for him. After getting a taste of
varsity as a freshman, Bassa saw his role increase as a sophomore as a two-way player (wide receiver and safety/nickel). He finished the 2018
season with 27 tackles, two sacks, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and a blocked field goal, plus 16 catches for 291 yards and four
touchdowns. Bassa earned honorable mention all-state honors as a junior with 53 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two interceptions (one returned
for a touchdown). He also had his best season on offense — 18 receptions for 421 yards (23.4 average) and four touchdowns, leading Kearns to 10
wins and the 2019 regional championship.

As a senior, Bassa took home first-team all-state honors and led the team to an 8-1 finish in a season shortened because of the COVID-19
pandemic. He finished with 17 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns, plus 38 tackles and one forced fumble. Bassa also added kick-return duties as a senior and had a pair of touchdowns. He also lettered in basketball and track at Kearns, with personal bests 20 feet, 8 inches in the long
jump, 96-9 in the javelin, 11.24 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.24 in the 200.

A four-star recruit, Bassa was the 22nd-ranked safety in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 4 recruit in Utah (behind players such as Kingsley
Suamataia, Jaxson Dart and Jackson Powers-Johnson). His recruitment started to take off after his sophomore season with an offer from nearby
Utah, which liked him as a linebacker. Bassa collected more than a dozen offers before announcing a top six of Arizona State, Baylor, Louisville,
Oklahoma State, Oregon and Utah the summer before his senior season. Midway through his senior season, he committed to former head coach
Mario Cristobal and was the 17th-ranked recruit in the Ducks' 2021 class (which also included Suamataia and Powers-Johnson).

Bassa signed as a safety but started the transition to linebacker — a position he had never played before — midway through his freshman season.
He graduated with a degree from Oregon (June 2024). Bassa accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl and was voted the National Team's top
linebacker during the week of practice.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2021: (14/7) 48 3.5 1.0 0 1 0 Enrolled January 2021
2022: (13/9) 62 4.0 2.0 0 2 2
2023: (14/14) 72 3.5 0.0 0 2 1 Second Team All-Pac-12; 45-yard INT TD; bowl game defensive MVP
2024: (14/13) 54 2.5 1.5 2 2 0 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Total: (55/43) 236 13.5 4.5 2 7 3

HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
COMBINE 6011 232 9 1/4 31 3/8 78 3/4 4.63 2.73 1.67 38 1/2 9' 10" DNP 7.34 21 No shuttle (choice)
PRO DAY 6012 228 9 5/8 31 5/8 78 3/4 4.62 2.76 1.61 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

STRENGTHS:
● Adequate size and play speed
● Plays with wide lateral shuffle to cover a lot of ground in mirror
● Rangy against the run to flow, stay ahead of blocks and shut down outside runs at numbers
● Will use sudden punch to stay unglued from blockers before they can cover him up
● Can see his safety background in ability to turn and run in coverage
● Brackets well down the seam to complicate catch windows
● Communicates adjustments pre-snap and brings energy
● Started 43 games and played on special teams all four seasons

WEAKNESSES:
● Appears tight when attempting sudden direction changes
● Can be caught flat-footed in coverage, giving pass catcher chance to make move
● Loses depth in drops at times while tracking quarterback's eyes
● Tends to duck head when taking on blocks, losing sight of ball
● Had trouble when attempting to set edge against Ashton Jeanty runs
● Takes himself out of position when he attacks before reading
● Needs to improve timing and finish as a blitzer

SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Oregon, Bassa played Mike linebacker in defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi's hybrid front seven (played Will as a
freshman and sophomore before moving to the middle). He grew into the Ducks' defensive leader the past two seasons — and that extended to
the Senior Bowl, where he was in charge of the huddles for the National Team (his on-field performance there is a good example of a prospect
improving their draft grade by playing in an all-star game). Bassa gets impatient at times against the run, but he handles run fits and gap exchanges with excellent lateral flow to make stops. A former safety, he looks natural turning and running down the field in coverage. Overall, Bassa (who wore the green dot for the Ducks in 2024) needs to turn the "almost" plays into more steady production, but he does everything well on the
football field and can become an NFL starter with improved consistency. His football arrow is pointing up.

GRADE: 3rd-4th round (No. 99 overall)

[SAGA45]

[SAGA45]

[RunKC]

Really hope this guy can get on the field on 3rd downs bc we were absolute ass covering TE’s last year

Chiefs LB Jeff Bassa says he takes a lot of pride in his coverage ability and wants to be relied upon to cover TEs.

— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) May 4, 2025

[SAGA45]

Dude is impressive

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Really hope this guy can get on the field on 3rd downs bc we were absolute ass covering TE’s last year

Chiefs LB Jeff Bassa says he takes a lot of pride in his coverage ability and wants to be relied upon to cover TEs.

— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) May 4, 2025

Definitely one of the few needs on this team. If he can do that...ideal.