Eric Bakhtiari, DE, San Diego
 

Had 20 sacks last year, won the Buck Buchanan award. Reminds me of a smaller Jared Allen. Probably have to play OLB in the NFL since he only 6'3" and weighs 260. Had 23.5 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles. Not really seeing him on any draft news, could be a later round steal.

http://usdtoreros.cstv.com/sports/m-...ri_eric00.html

Could he be the Boomer Grisgby/Jared Allen lovechild?

Sounds like a late round sleeper, to be honest.

I've heard of the guy but haven't seen much, but with all the attention paid to Josh Johnson I'd be surprised if teams didn't know about him.

He's one of those high motor guys.

He's probably maxed out in terms of size, and his best fit would probably be as a pass rush specialist.

But then, his desire is such that he might end up being a solid 3 down defender.

Back in 2004 they said that Jared lacked the upside too, yet he also won the Buck Buchanan and only had 17.5 sacks his senior year. Not saying this kid is going to be the next JA, just thinking he might be able to be had for a mid to lower round pick and make an impact as a 3rd down pass rusher. If anybody has any of his workout numbers, I'd love to see them. I'm guessing he didn't do well or was hurt or something, I just can't imagine why a kid that leads the NCAA in sacks doesn't get any print.

I haven't seen anything on him.

How could you be the Chiefs and not love what you see in that guy?

Great find, Ralphy Boy. Makes you think.

I think what some people see as a fatal flaw for this kid is height.

Allen was 6'6" and about 265, so he had some room to grow.

Bak is only 6'3", so he is potentially maxed out in terms of size, and that is a red flag.

Thanks. 4.80 40 is kinda slow for an OLB, but pretty good for a DE. I'd say that like Terrell Suggs a few years ago, the slower 40 time has something to do with the weight (260 lbs). Suggs could have dropped the pounds to get a better 40 time, but he was also a tweener type and was hearing from half the coaches that they'd play him at DE and the other half OLB. If he drops a few pounds, he'd likely gain some speed, he weighs more than most ILB's.

Looking quickly at NFL rosters:
John Abraham is 6'4 and weighs 266
Bertrand Berry 6'3, 264
Andre Carter 6'4, 252
Trent Cole 6'3, 270 (12.5 sacks)
and of course
Dwight "Shorty" Freeney 6'1, 268

I think it's unlikely that Jared Allen weighed any more than that this past season. He was decidedly slimmer than in the past.

260 isn't a problem for a RDE if it's a SOLID 260. If he's kinda soft at 260, then he needs to drop it or convert to muscle. Being a little shorter there isn't a problem either, as it can help with getting lower than the typically taller, heavier LT's.

I guess I'm saying it all depends on the individual. Lighter DE's can be found doing rather well in the NFL at that spot.

went undrafted. got to be worth signing as an undrafted free agent.

I recollection is that Allen got down to 255 or so last year. Strahan is listed at 255 and is probably a little lighter than that.

One of the knocks on Allen coming out was that he had poor weight room strength (only 13 reps of 225). To put this in perspective, about 2 years ago when I was 5'7 and 172lbs, I used to do 4 sets of 8 with 220 in my regular training routine.

But, Allen put up 9 sacks as a rookie. In training camp, DV talked about how "strong" JA was. The only thing that makes sense is JA is terrific at using leverage. Hence, he could "play strong" even though he had poor weight room numbers.

Also, Allen was not a combat veteran.

Yeah it really makes no sense. I remember seeing Allen bull rush right through Levi Jones last year who probably outweighs Allen by 60 or 70 pounds.

This guy is signed with the Chargers if anyone was wondering.