Chiefs’ scout on new fifth-round linebacker Jeff Bassa: ‘This is our type of player’

The Kansas City Chiefs made a move to bolster their linebacker room on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. The Chiefs traded a fifth and seventh-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to move up eight spots and select Oregon senior Jeff Bassa with the No. 156 overall pick.

For Bassa, the moment was surreal. After years of watching Kansas City on Sundays, he now gets to wear their colors.

“Just having the opportunity to be able to watch them and then now be a part of that, I think it means a lot,” Bassa said in a post-draft call. “I’m so blessed to have this opportunity and be in this position.”

From the Chiefs' perspective, selecting Bassa came as a pleasant surprise. They weren’t expecting him to still be available that late in the draft, so when they saw an opportunity to move up once again, they jumped at it immediately.

“Honestly, really surprised to see this guy available in the fifth round,” said Chiefs’ national scout Jonathan Howard. “This kid is awesome, and he’s a very good football player.”

Bassa’s journey to the NFL took some unique turns. He was initially a wide receiver in high school before switching to safety as a freshman at Oregon. From there, injuries created an opportunity for him to change positions again — this time to linebacker. His coaches believed Bassa had the size (6’1” and 232 lbs.) and high football IQ to make the transition, and he proved them right.

He became a core player at Oregon, appearing in all 55 games over his four-year career. In his senior season, he started 13 games at inside linebacker, recording 54 total tackles (fifth-most on the team), 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. For Bassa, it turns out the switch to linebacker wasn’t just best for the team — it was also what was best for his career.

“I was the biggest safety in the room, so they put me in the linebacker room,” Bassa explained. “They were just saying, ‘If you can go in and learn these plays, then it’s a change that can impact your career. Making that transition from safety to linebacker can help you out a lot when it comes to coverage or when it comes to just knowing the full defense.’ So, I took that opportunity and ran with it. I’m so blessed that I had that opportunity to have a little bit of adversity with the position change early on in my career to help me be the player and the man that I am today.”

Howard and the Chiefs were big fans of Bassa’s steady production throughout college. That, plus a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, was enough proof of his ability to perform against top competition and a big reason why the team’s scouting department has had their eyes on Bassa throughout the years.

“We have multiple years of exposure with this player,” Howard noted. “He’s about as consistent and dependable as they come. He’s athletic. You see him make plays from sideline to sideline and even when they broadcasted our pick, you see the highlight of him taking the pick-six back in the prior year against Texas Tech. This guy has made a lot of plays in the pass and the run game.

“We saw him at the Senior Bowl. He was productive in that game as well. This kid has been pretty steady throughout. It’s a lot of credit to [Oregon head coach] Dan Lanning and the way they run that program there, and how he shows up against good competition. This is a guy we’re just really excited to get in the fold here. This is our type of player.”

As Bassa begins his career with the Chiefs, he hopes to live up to the expectations and carry those leadership qualities as he represents his new home.

“Just a guy who’s going to come in and put his best foot forward every day,” Bassa said of what he brings to the Chiefs organization. “I’m going to give my best and my all for the city of Kansas City.”