Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
Size:
Height: 6011
Weight: 232
Arm: 31 ⅜”
Hand: 9 ¼”
Accomplishments:
Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2023) • Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP (2023)
“Jeffrey Bassa is an explosive and athletic LB prospect who impacts the game in both the run game and in pass coverage.”
Strengths:
Overall athletic ability
Short-area quickness/pursuit to ball
Dynamic blitzer and downhill attacker
Sideline-to-sideline speed/range
Concerns:
Adding muscle mass
Block shedding versus the run
Arm length and wingspan as a tackler
Working through traffic in the box
Film Analysis:
Jeffrey Bassa began his career as a safety before moving down to the second level of the Ducks’ defense. He has sideline-to-sideline speed and range. Bassa is a physical and aggressive defender who thrives on attacking downhill toward the line of scrimmage. He offers the potential to be a three-down leader for the defense.
Instincts and football IQ are two of Bassa’s strongest attributes. He operates as the defense’s play-caller (green dot LB), handling pre-snap audibles and making checks and calls in sync with the opposing QB. Bassa is tasked with listening to the offensive adjustments and making defensive checks to get into the best play call. His instincts are evident when diagnosing runs versus pass plays quickly.
Bassa’s speed and range allow him to stay within range of the football in space. He plays outside run concepts well, using his speed to meet the running back at the point of attack. He is a physical downhill defender who triggers with aggression to bring the ball carrier down. He is patient, remaining square to scrape and flow laterally before making a play on the ball carrier. Bassa is a fairly reliable open-field tackler, keeping his technique sound upon contact.
Bassa will make his greatest impact on passing plays. He is a good coverage defender who flashes man coverage skills. He covers running backs out of the backfield and some slot receivers. Bassa is also a good instinctive spot dropper in zone coverage. With great zone awareness, he hits his coverage landmarks, reading the QB’s eyes and the routes run near him.
Bassa is a dynamic blitzer and a strong QB pressure defender. Running backs struggle to block him as a free runner because of his pass-rush skills. He can rush with power to bowl over blockers or use quick swim moves to move the QB off their spot. His athleticism allows him to mug the A-gaps and show blitz before dropping out as an underneath zone defender to disrupt the QB’s passing lanes.
Bassa added weight after switching from safety to linebacker, but his frame could benefit from additional muscle mass. He struggles against climbing offensive linemen in the run game. If they get a hold of him, shedding those blocks is difficult. Bassa can be a bit aggressive when triggering downhill against the run, making him susceptible to hard play-action fakes, which can cause false steps forward and vacate his coverage area. His arm length appears functional, but it can create some wrap-up issues as a tackler.
Bassa projects as a starting middle linebacker in an attacking-style defense. His football IQ and excellent communication ability as the play-caller of the unit are beyond his years. The level of physicality he plays with after switching positions is exciting. Bassa projects as a three-down defender with the athletic and mental skills to be a high-impact player in the NFL.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Exposures: Ohio State (2025), Michigan (2024), Penn State (2024), Ohio State (2024), Texas Tech (2023), USC (2023), Oregon State (2023), Washington (2023), Colorado (2023)
