Dec 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (2) during Rose Bowl media day at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chiefs Draft Review: Jeffrey Bassa Offers High Ceiling on Defense

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Jared Feinberg | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Successful franchises have been able to consistently maintain their homegrown talent while constantly developing their young players into become key players on the roster. In the last three to four years, the Kansas City Chiefs have been that team and have turned into perennial Super Bowl contenders.

This year, the Chiefs had another quality draft. They addressed their long-term future at left tackle with first-round pick Josh Simmons while finding Tershawn Wharton's replacement with Omarr Norman-Lott and pass rusher depth by Ashton Gillotte. Nohl Williams, Jalen Royals, and Brashard Smith all should have key roles as rookies.

Fifth-round linebacker Jeffrey Bassa is the only true wild card from the Chiefs' draft class. The former Oregon Duck was productive with at least 45 tackles in each season, an impressive streak for a former defensive back. He was also the Ducks' MIKE linebacker last season with the green dot, communicating the plays and putting his teammates in the right spots to succeed.

Bassa's path to playing time won't come as clearly as his other rookie classmates. At 6-foot-1, 228 pounds, he's a smaller second-level defender who lacks adequate play strengths and frame to contend in contested traffic around the line of scrimmage, take on blocks to spill ball carriers to the perimeter, or make consistent hard-nosed stops.

Think of it this way: general manager Brett Veach just drafted the coverage defender version of Leo Chenal to the Chiefs linebacker corp. Ok, this may not seem like the best comparison but it makes sense. Bassa's strengths are when he's allowed to cover space and attack the ball carrier downhill.

#2 Jeffrey Bassa brings coverage prowess, explosive trigger to the ball, and quality reactive athleticism to have a sub-package role in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense this year. #Chiefs fifth-round linebacker from Oregon is intriguing, no doubt. pic.twitter.com/3BqpkH7Er8
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) May 23, 2025

This is a player that Steve Spagnuolo likely pounded the table for. Bassa is a great athlete who is fast, fluid, and quick to the football, offering some serious sideline-to-sideline range. There's good temperament and attitude in his game, which allows for some impressive pops as a tackler.

Where Bassa will thrive at the next level early in his career is as a sub-package WILL linebacker, where he can use his coverage prowess to his advantage. He is good at having the patient read steps and then exploding downhill or getting into transition quickly out of his keys.

Bassa's ball skills standout significantly, though he doesn't have high end production, he can explode to the ball and affect the catch window while making a play for it, as the clip from Robby in the post below exhibits. He will collision in the contact window as well to disrupt route timing and get opposing offenses out of sorts.

Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa is a LB I love in this class with his aggressiveness and explosiveness - he’s an energizer bunny. See some of that range in coverage.

Bassa really stood out at the Senior Bowl with how vocally he was in practice. pic.twitter.com/NtlieALMQs
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) April 11, 2025

Bassa is a fairly raw player, as is any rookie who is selected in the later portions of the draft. He could be more consistent in a number of coverage facets, including defending option routes, playing with more control in pursuit, and being too aggressive in coverage that can either lead to penalties or blown plays. Bassa must play with more discipline at the next level while upping his play strength to be a more effective run defender.

Bassa is a wild card because he is unlikely to see the field often in 2025 with Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal ahead of him on the depth chart. With Spagnuolo running a 4-2-5 base, he could see time as a sub-package coverage defender on obvious passing downs, but will likely be relegated to special teams on punt and/or kickoff coverages.

Near the end of his first contract, Bassa could be a quality starting WILL linebacker with quality coverage skills that resemble the play style of prime Deion Jones, who was once one of the best coverage defenders at his position during his early years with the Atlanta Falcons.

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This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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