2013 NFL Draft Prospect: David Bass, DE/OLB, Missouri Western State

Measurements: 6'4", 262 lbs.
Projected Round: 5-6

With the NFL Draft less than a month away, everyone is discussing the Redskins and their need for secondary help. While I obviously agree with the assessment, I'm looking at a late round prospect who, although doesn't cover wide receivers, could indirectly help out our secondary. We all know a secondaries best friend is a good pass rush and DE/OLB David Bass could provide just that.

I first noticed David Bass at the practices for the East/West Shrine Game. From day one, his pass rush ability was evident. At 6'4" and 265 lbs., he used his hands to beat blocks right off the snap and was very instinctive in finding the ball carrier. The few times I saw an offensive lineman get into his pads, he displayed good moves and counter-moves to beat the block and still find his target. One thing I loved about him was he never gave up. He ran those drills 100% until the coach blew the whistle. He never took no for an answer and didn't like "losing" any match-ups in one-on-ones. He was eager to talk to coaches after each rep to see how he could improve and effectively executed the corrections on the next play which shows he is coachable. All of this, made me go back and do some more digging.

David Bass wasn't highly recruited out of high school. He was only offered three scholarships after his senior year. He accepted a scholarship offer from Missouri Western State University. At Missouri Western, he was a four year starter and absolutely dominated the competition. In that time frame, he racked up 220 tackles, 56 tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hurries, 19 pass break-ups, 3 INTs (1 returned for a TD), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and a new Western Missouri career record, 39.5 sacks. Scouts and coaches have called him "a motivated individual with an excellent competitive drive" and a "positive locker room presence with strong character on and off the field." On top of that, his award lists read like a novel:

2012 Award List
• Finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award
• BSN Third Team All-American
• First Team AP Little-American All-American
• All-MIAA First Team Selection
• Second Team Daktronics All-American
• D2Football.com All-America First Team
• Daktronics First Team All-Region

2011 Award List
• Don Hansen Football Gazette First Team All-American
• BSN First Team All-American
• All-MIAA First Team Selection
• Daktronics All-American
• AP Little All-American Second Team
• D2Football.com All-America First Team
• Daktronics First Team All-Region
• First Team All-MIAA defensive end
• 2-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Week
• Once named D2Football.com Defensive Player of the Week
• Don Hanson First Team All-Super Region Four

Credit to the Official Site of Missouri Western State University Athletics (www.gogriffons.com) for the award list.

DE/OLB David Bass is obviously not without flaws. After running a disappointing 4.84 at the NFL Combine, some scouts see him as strictly a 4-3 DE. I kindly disagree. After joining an NFL strength and conditioning program, and his natural athletic ability, I believe he can make the transition to 3-4 OLB. Washington Redskins' own OLBs Rob Jackson and Ryan Kerrigan ran a 4.95 and a 4.71 respectively so David Bass would fall right in between the two (not to mention, Bass was timed at 4.74 pre-combine). Jarvis Jones, a 1st round prospect, ran a 4.9 40 yard dash yet teams still view him as a 3-4 OLB. Another obvious knock would be the competition he played against. He played against inferior competition and will need to adapt better technique (more pass rush moves, his hand technique, adjust pad level, etc.) to succeed at the next level on a consistent basis. You don't need to look much further than Washington's own London Fletcher (John Carroll) and Pierre Garcon (Mount Union) as small school prospects who have thrived in the NFL. David Bass did not look out of place at the East/West Shrine Game and he didn't look out of place at the NFL Combine. The only place he seemed out of place was Division-II football. With OLB Brian Orakpo coming off an injury and OLB Rob Jackson being suspended the first 4 games of the season, I would spend a 6th or 7th round pick on him because we need depth at the position. Below are some highlights of DE/OLB David Bass. Enjoy!

UPDATE: DE/OLB David Bass ran a 4.69 at his Pro Day

Intimidation:

This is Griffon Football: David Bass Commercial (via gogriffs2541) and highlights:

David Bass Missouri Western State University (via Ryan Menley)