Chiefs trade up in 5th round to select Oregon linebacker. He says he’s motivated
The Kansas City Chiefs traded up in the fifth round to select a linebacker.
With the 156th pick, KC selected Oregon middle linebacker Jeff Bassa. The Chiefs moved to No. 156 by sending the 164th selection and a seventh-round pick (226th overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chiefs national scout Jonathan Howard described Bassa on Saturday as both a “very good football player” and a “core culture guy” for Oregon. Howard said the Chiefs had scouted Bassa for multiple seasons, just in case he had decided to declare early for the pros.
“Honestly, we were a little surprised to see this guy available in the fifth round,” Howard said.
Bassa, 22, ranked 123rd on Pro Football Focus’ Big Board. PFF described Bassa as “a vocal leader at Oregon, he could be a nice coverage linebacker in any scheme.”
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had Bassa ranked as his No. 105 prospect, saying 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.”
Howard said that KC hadn’t yet determined a specific linebacker position for Bassa.
“He’s a good linebacker,” Howard said, “and we’ll figure out where he fits.”
Bassa said Saturday he likes to live by three mantras: faith, ambition and patience. That final attribute was tested this weekend, as he slid down the draft board until Day 3.
“There’s a lot of linebackers going off the board, and teams have their needs, right?” Bassa said. “And so I’m for sure going to remember every linebacker that came off the board before me and use that as fuel and motivation for sure, just because that’s the dog that I am and the person that I am.”
Bassa expressed gratitude to the Chiefs organization for trading up to select him. He promised to come in with a “growth and open mindset” while being willing to learn from both veterans and rookies.
“I’m going to give my best and my all,” Bassa said, “for the city of Kansas City.”
The Chiefs initially picked up a fifth-round pick in this draft thanks to a Day 1 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. KC moved down from the 31st pick to No. 32 while also picking up the 164th selection from Philadelphia.
After moving down, KC selected Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons with its first-round pick.
Howard said the Chiefs were confident that Bassa would be able to flourish in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme from both a mental and athletic standpoint.
“This is a guy we’re just really excited to get in the fold here,” Howard said. “This is our type of player.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM.
