How Jeffrey Bassa Fits With the Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs once again utilized a trade to move up in the pecking order; this time, it was for Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. The Chiefs traded away their original fifth-round pick acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in round one, as well as sent one of their seventh-round picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Chiefs have prioritized adding to their defense this draft weekend, as the addition of Bassa makes that four new defenders heading to Kansas City. Originally projected as a fourth-round pick, the Chiefs made a smart move by getting Bassa before he was taken off of the draft board.

Competing with the Oregon Ducks all four years of his collegiate career, the newest Chiefs linebacker improved from year to year. Throughout his collegiate years, Bassa totaled 236 total tackles, 125 solo tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 4.5 quarterback sacks.

As the Chiefs' front office has continuously shown over the years under general manager Brett Veach, the franchise looks into several options and makes the right decision when doing so. Adding Bassa into the defense to learn from the likes of Leo Chenal and Nick Bolton, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can only smile ear to ear.

"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," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote.

Projected with a high upside, Bassa has the grade on him as a prospect who could develop into a plus starter in a few seasons. As he enters as a rookie, these are the experiences that the newest Chief linebacker will need to expand his game to new heights.

The Chiefs' defense was already within the Top 10 in terms of net defensive yards allowed on average, but with several new faces on the defensive side of the ball, their stint in that category could easily be staying into the new season.

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