Now being led by Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams, the New England Patriots are in the process of overhauling their defense. The off-ball linebacker group is a prominent part of that.

Besides releasing longtime captain Ja’Whaun Bentley and 2024 signing Sione Takitaki, the Patriots also added Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens in free agency. They might not be done either: the draft offers some intriguing options to add young talent to the room, with Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa among the potential fits.

Hard facts

Name: Jeffrey Bassa

Position: Off-the-ball linebacker

School: Oregon

Opening day age: 22 (9/20/2002)

Measurements: 6’1 1/8”, 232 lbs, 78 3/4” wingspan, 31 3/8” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.63s 40-yard dash, 7.34s 3-cone drill, 38 1/2” vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 21 bench press reps, 6.83 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Oregon (2021-24)

Career statistics: 55 games (43 starts) | 2,391 defensive snaps, 441 special teams snaps | 236 tackles, 37 missed tackles (13.6%), 14.5 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles | 62 quarterback pressures (4.5 sacks, 13 hits, 44 hurries) | 114 targets, 98 catches surrendered (86%), 958 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 1 pick-six | 6 special teams tackles, 2 missed tackles (25%)

Accolades: Second-team All-Pac 12 (2023), Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP (2023), Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2024)

A two-year team captain, who played on both offense and defense during his time at Kearns High School in his Utah hometown, Bassa was a four-star recruit as a safety coming out. He picked up scholarship offers from multiple Power 5 schools before eventually deciding to take his college to Oregon. While he entered the school as a safety, he began moving to linebacker during his freshman season.

Bassa ended up starting 43 games during his four-year career with the Ducks and was named to two all-conference teams. He was invited to the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine after the conclusion of his college career, and met with the Patriots’ representatives at the Oregon pro day.

Draft profile

Expected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 133 | Patriots meeting: Pro Day

Strengths: What he lacks in overall stature, Bassa makes up for in range, movement skills and mentality. A team leader at Oregon, where he as responsible for making on-field calls and handling pre-snap adjustments, he brought the proper amount of violence to his role as a starter-level off-ball linebacker. A feisty player willing to punch above his weight, his athleticism and background as a safety show up primarily in coverage.

Bassa is at home operating in space and moves particularly well on a lateral plane. He does not look uncomfortable dropping into deep zones or following tight ends or running backs in 1-on-1 coverage. He plays with fluid hips and combines them with the buildup speed to track down ball carriers from the backside or exploit greases in wide zone concepts. He takes no prisoners when attacking downhill and has shown the ability to get home as a second-level blitzer.

Bassa also is an experienced special teams performer. In his four seasons at Oregon, he saw action on five units (kickoff return and coverage, punt return and coverage, field goal/extra point block). While his contributions in the game’s third phase decreased after he took on a bigger defensive role for the Ducks, he should have no problem jumping right back in at the next level.

Weaknesses: Even though he has four years of experience under his belt, Bassa is still a developing player especially versus the run. His instincts and gap recognition are quite raw, while he sometimes comes in too hot and overshoots his targets. He is not particularly well-suited to stack and shed blockers due to his unremarkable build, and he finds himself lost in traffic at times.

Despite his safety background, Bassa also needs to become more consistent and disciplined versus the pass. He sometimes stays too focused on reading the quarterback, losing track of his position relative to what the coverage dictates; he also is hit-or-miss when blitzing and his slack of size makes him an easier player to pick up.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Bassa projects as an off-ball linebacker in a similar mold as current Patriot Christian Elliss. He is best suited to work in the passing game and on special teams early on in his career, while continuing to develop his instincts as a run defender. In New England, he would compete against Elliss, Jack Gibbens and Monty Rice for package snaps behind starting LB Robert Spillane.

What is his growth potential? While he does have some physical limitations, Bassa also has some issues stemming from his lack of experience as a linebacker. As mentioned above, his run defense in particular leaves some to be desired. If he can better his play recognition and overall instincts, he offers definitive three-down value. He also has the makings of a future team captain.

Does he have positional versatility? Even though he moved up to the line and into the slot at times, Bassa is an off-ball linebacker through and through. Within that role, however, he has shown himself a versatile player capable of playing an extensive defensive role — with all the responsibilities that entails — and also helping out on special teams.

Why the Patriots? Bassa fits what New England’s new coaching staff is trying to do both on and off the field. He is a smaller player the the linebacker position and makes up for it by moving very well on the second level of the defense. Adding him to the mix would give the Patriots a promising player with four years of financially-manageable team control.

Why not the Patriots? After already signing the aforementioned Christian Elliss to a two-year contract extension, the Patriots might not want to add to their linebacker group until later in the draft or rookie free agency. In general, Bassa’s profile and projected use overlaps quite a bit with Elliss — making it even more clear he would be more of a luxury item than a clear need.

One-sentence verdict: Bassa is a fun player to watch at the heart of the Oregon defense, and despite his problems is trending in a direction the Patriots might feel positive about.