The Kansas City Chiefs drafted linebackers well over the past several years, but Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal hit free agency in back-to-back offseason. It’s time for general manager Brett Veach to consider future options for the position in the 2025 NFL draft.
Oregon Ducks standout Jeffrey Bassa is a lean 6’2″, 235 lb. linebacker with long arms and loose hips. He smoothly swivels and redirects to pursue the ball. Bassa’s acceleration and closing burst pop on film. He plays sideline-to-sideline and uses his range to prevent running backs from turning the corner on outside runs.
Bassa is still developing his instincts fitting gaps in the run game. His eagerness to play downhill sometimes causes him to open gaps. He needs to play with more patience. Bassa’s lack of mass makes him an easy target for climbing linemen. He struggles to stack and shed the blocks of larger players, but his agility and quick feet make it difficult for linemen to mirror him in space.
Bassa offers tremendous versatility in coverage. The Ducks even ask him to play safety in inverted Cover 3. Bassa brackets slot options up the seam and gains excellent depth in zone coverages. His speed keeps him even with tight ends and running backs on vertical plays.
Bassa takes some steep angles to his assignments in man coverage. This issue contributed to Bassa allowing a big reception to Penn State’s Nick Singleton in the Big Ten Championship Game. Bassa is a tremendous athlete but needs to develop his instincts and technique.
Bassa accepted an invitation to compete at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. in late January.
