Welcome back to Parsons’ Profiles, the NFL Draft countdown series where I examine the professional future of one Duck per day until the 2025 NFL Draft begins on April 24. Yesterday, I discussed running back Jordan James. Today, we’ll ponder the future of linebacker Jeffrey Bassa.
In his youth, Bassa played receiver and defensive back at Kearns High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Standing 6’1 and just over 200 pounds, Bassa was recruited as an ideally-sized safety. 247Sports Composite ranked him the nation’s 22nd-best safety and Utah’s fourth-best overall player.
In Oct. 2020, Bassa committed to playing safety at Oregon. However, after injuries depleted the Ducks’ defense during Week 2 of the 2021 season, Bassa jumped into his first snaps against an FBS opponent — at Ohio State and at linebacker.
“It was a great experience to be on the field early in a critical game like that,” Bassa said afterwards. “That’s the week that I really changed from nickel to linebacker.”
Thankfully, the change stuck. Bassa started seven games at linebacker as a true freshman. He started nine more as a sophomore and finished with the team’s second-most total tackles (62). However, he still weighed just 212 pounds, and decided to make a change.
“I wasn’t satisfied at all. It didn’t feel right,” Bassa said regarding his slight size. “(Head coach Dan) Lanning, (defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi) and some of the assistant coaches talked a lot about gaining weight in the offseason. So, I bulked up. That’s something I attacked heavily.”
Clearly, the change worked. Bassa bulked up to around 230 pounds before the 2023 season, and his play greatly improved as a result. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) overall defense grade improved from 45.2 to 76.1, and his tackling grade skyrocketed from 47.3 to 83.9. Even his coverage grade improved from 51.6 to 76.7.
Bassa’s impacts weren’t just felt on the stat sheet. In Week 2, Oregon held a narrow 31-30 lead over upstarts Texas Tech, which had driven to midfield with less than a minute remaining. Former Oregon passer Tyler Shough was hit while throwing and sent an errant ball almost directly at Bassa, who promptly picked it out of the air and scampered into the endzone for a game-sealing pick six.
Bassa would go on to earn All-Pac-12 second-team honors as a junior. He again finished second on the team in tackles, this time with 72 in total.
Unfortunately for Bassa, his senior year stats generally declined from 2023. However, Bassa was limited for many weeks by a nagging ankle injury, and also dealt with competition from an Oregon defense which regularly rotated its middle linebackers.
For that reason, Bassa entered the 2024-2025 offseason hungry to prove himself. Thankfully, he got the perfect opportunity to do so when he was invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, a week of practices and subsequent scrimmage held annually to showcase some of college football’s best matriculating talent.
“(I want to) show these teams that I’m a true four-down linebacker and that I should be high up on their (draft) boards,” Bassa told reporters following the first day of practices.
Fortunately for Bassa, the Senior Bowl likely did wonders for his draft stock. Bassa was voted the National team’s top linebacker by the American team’s offensive linemen, tight ends and running backs. He also called plays for the National team and showcased outstanding leadership abilities throughout.
Bassa’s excellent Senior Bowl showing even included a viral moment. On the last day of practices, Bassa was lined up in a one-on-one pass-rush drill against Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II.
Gordon was supposed to make a block on Bassa in the open field, with the two lined up at a distance of seven yards. When the two collided, Bassa spun through the contact, knocking Gordon to the turf and winning the rep.
Bassa met with the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots during Oregon’s Pro Day on March 18. All three teams are in need of linebacker help and could conceivably draft Bassa.
The 49ers lost veteran weak-side linebacker Dre Greenlaw to the Denver Broncos this offseason, so they’ll be looking to give perennial All-Pro Fred Warner some much-needed assistance. Bassa played a lot of strong-side linebacker at Oregon, but many analysts think he grades out better on the weak side.
“A move to (weak-side) linebacker would allow Bassa to play more run-and-hit football, which could bolster his chances as a good ‘backer with the potential to develop into a starter,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
Bassa would likely also fit in well in New England or Las Vegas. On Thursday, Patriots.com’s Mike Dussault projected the Patriots to draft Bassa in the fourth round, citing Bassa’s athleticism and positional versatility as appealing traits for a team looking to rebuild. The Raiders are in the midst of a similar rebuild and seem to be interested in Bassa for the same reasons.
Both PFF’s Trevor Sikkema and Sports Illustrated’s Jared Feinberg have Bassa ranked as this year’s sixth-best linebacker prospect. Both project him as a fourth-round pick, as does NFL.com’s Zierlein.
I also think Bassa grades out as a fourth-rounder. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if five or six off-ball linebackers were taken in the second and third rounds, nor would I be surprised if Bassa was among those taken in the third.
Bassa’s not a classic middle linebacker, which is already a position generally avoided in the first round. He’s also got room to develop as a run-stopper, which could impact his stock. However, his athletic traits and leadership capabilities can’t be denied. Any team willing to develop Bassa could have a serious weapon on their hands.
Tomorrow, Parsons’ Profiles will discuss a Duck whose record-breaking 2024 campaign put him in elite Oregon company.
