From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa.
No. 2 Jeffrey Bassa/LB Oregon – 6011, 232 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jeffrey Bassa | 6011/232 | 9 1/4 | 31 3/8 | 78 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.63 | 1.59 | N/A | 7.34 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’10” | 38.5 | N/A |
The Good
– Takes good angles to ball carrier
– Can be used as a blitzer, will not make sacks but can cause chaos
– Flies to the ball with aggressiveness
– Commander of a defense that calls out assignments to teammates
– Good zone drops in 5-step pass concepts
– Decent tackler
– Gritty, hard worker
– Good contact balance
– Decent lateral speed
– Good special teams value
The Bad
– Average athletic ability
– Average play strength
– Struggles in man coverage
– Bad technique in coverage, lunges forward causing limited change of direction
– Fails to put hands on receivers
– Bad discipline fitting gaps
– Average downhill speed
– Average overall speed
– Does not do anything well besides lead
– Cannot locate ball after being blocked
– Struggles to shed blocks
– No hand fighting ability at point of attack with offensive lineman
– Makes crucial mistakes that hurt defense
Bio
– Started 43 games across 4 years at Oregon
– 2024: 48 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 2 PBU’s
– Led his defense to an undefeated regular season, a 2024 Big 10 Championship Win, and a Rose Bowl Appearance
– Named All-Big 10 honorable mention
– 2023: 72 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and 1 interception
– Named All-Pac 12 Second Team
– Awarded Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP
– 2022: 62 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions
– 2021: 48 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and 1 sack
– Named Pac-12 Freshman of the week after recording 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 1 sack vs Washington in Week 10
– Played safety and receiver in high school, and was a four-star recruit out of Kearns High School in Utah
– Ranked the No. 31 safety nationally and No. 4 overall player in Utah
– Totaled 1,016 receiving yards on 51 catches with 11 touchdowns
– Named First-Team All-Utah his senior year
– Lettered in basketball and track as well
– Grew up as the only boy in his family, so he began to lean on his teammates as his brothers
Tape Breakdown
Jeffrey Bassa is a player who needs to have a lot of good development to make an impact in the NFL. Before watching his film, I was optimistic about the prospect after seeing him play very well at the Senior Bowl, but his performance in Mobile did not match his output on the field.
On film, Bassa shows average athletic ability and struggles to chase defenders down due to his lack of speed. His change of direction skills need work, and he is ineffective at reacting to quick cuts and jukes made by running backs. His average change of direction can be exposed in pass coverage, and his weight is on his toes, which leads to him lunging and hurts his recovery skills. On this play, his weight is in the front of his body, and he cannot react to a quick cut from a receiver.
When he attacks from downhill or blitzes from his linebacker position, he can be hesitant, which leads to an ineffective blitz and a hole in the defense. Most of the plays he makes are because of his high effort and aggressiveness, not because of the athleticism he has. He is an effective blitzer on some plays because of his ability to run into blockers and cause chaos, not because he gets the quarterback and makes sacks.
When he is covering a running back or tight end in man coverage, he never gets hands on the receivers and tries to re-route them. This is a major problem because he does not have the athletic ability to recover, so they just get a free release and can run by him. His technique paired with his inability to be physical gives the offense a huge advantage. I think he is a negative matchup against any player on the field in man, as shown on this touchdown.
When he is in zone coverage, he is a target for RPO’s. He often times flies up to the line of scrimmage on fake handoffs, leading to wide open windows for quarterbacks to throw to. I like his ability to play in zone coverage, though, and he gets to his drops well and can recognize offensive concepts in the 5-step pass game.
As a run defender, Bassa can show flashes of positive plays due to his aggressiveness. But overall, he makes a lot of crucial mistakes that can severely hurt his defense and lead to explosive plays. The main problem I have with his run defense is his lack of discipline when fitting the run, which is the most important aspect of a linebacker’s ability to stop the run. He guesses where the ball carrier will be rather than playing team defense and doing his job, while trying to make heroic plays that never end up working. It would be different if he had the athleticism to recover and make plays after his mistakes, but he does not possess that ability. On this play, Bassa makes a shocking decision that has no logic behind it, leading to a first down in the Big 10 Championship.
I wish I could say this was a rare mistake, but this happens multiple times per game. It may not seem obvious when glancing at a play, but the mistakes he makes while supposed to be playing his gap are inexcusable when watching film. On this blitz, he once again switches gaps, trying to make a hero play, and this leads to an explosive quarterback scramble. This would be avoided if he stayed in his gap, and most likely would have led to a sack.
Bassa also struggles with taking on blocks and does not have the ability to use his hands to get linemen off him and make a play. He does not have the play strength to push blockers back, and it looks like he accepts defeat right when the lineman attaches to him.
Conclusion
Jeffrey Bassa does not do anything particularly well besides lead a defense. He has a high motor that can lead to some good effort plays, but the flaws in his game are too much to look past. He needs to improve his technique in pass coverage and fitting his gaps to be on the field in the NFL, but even then, the average athletic ability he possesses will make it hard to stick him on the field. However, I do think he has good special teams value due to his effort and aggressiveness, and he can be used in all phases. My comp for him is Will Compton.
Projection: Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.9 – Fifth Round (Backup/Special Teamer)
Games Watched: vs Ohio State (regular season – 2024), vs Illinois (2024), vs Penn State (2024), vs Ohio State (playoff – 2024)
