Kansas City Chiefs select Jeffrey Bassa in fifth round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs have selected Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa with the No. 156 pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was a standout player the past four seasons for the Ducks and will now look to show his value at the pro level.

Bassa appeared in 55 games across his career in Eugene, finishing with 237 total tackles (14.5 for loss), 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles. He was named Big Ten honorable mention this past season after helping Oregon earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

The 6-foot-1 linebacker ranked fifith on the team with 54 total tackles in addition to 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2024. He earned an overall grade of 73.4 according to Pro Football Focus.

Bassa never missed a game in his career at Oregon, playing in every contest since arriving as a freshman in 2021. He started seven of 14 games that year and ended with 48 total tackles and one sack. By his third season in 2023, he would go on to be named second team All-Pac-12

Bassa attended Kearns High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was a four-star prospect in 2021. He ranked as the No. 235 overall player and No. 14 safety in the cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Jeffrey Bassa

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein offered some additional analysis on Bassa in his recent scout of the linebacker’s draft profile. He spoke on the linebacker’s strengths as a defender in the passing game but noted a need to improve on the running side.

“Bassa is a weak-side linebacker prospect who played inside at Oregon to get the best athletes on the field,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a little bit mechanical as a run defender and will flow downhill before properly diagnosing, but he keeps himself clean using his hands to separate. He needs to pursue with better leverage to prevent overflow, but he does what is needed to get involved with the play.

“He’s capable on passing downs, with man-cover talent and an ability to attack the pocket as a blitzer. A move to Will 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.”