STRENGTHS - Bakhtiari's first step off the snap enables him to gain leverage on the DL. He bends his knees and his able to hold technique without penalty. His strength and use of his legs enables him to drive a weaker DL off the line, creating space for the ball carrier. In pass block he keeps his head up and turns his hips and slides his feet well to withstand the pressure from the DL / LB. Shows that he has the ability to be physical at the POA and can use punch in pass pro but will need to become more consistent. Has shown the ability to react well and recover on a missed block off the edges.
WEAKNESSES - Bakhtiari's frame is too small for an OL & will need to put on some weight and become stronger to hold off the more powerful OL at the next level. Has a tendency to get beat off the edges against the faster DE, and while he shows he can recover, he will need to improve his reaction time as he will struggle to react against the quicker ends. At times in the games that were viewed he had a tendency to be a waist bender and would at times lean his body into his man, making him susceptible to being knocked to the ground. Will need to become more consistent in using punch and needs to be physical more consistently. When asked to block in the 2nd level he does not get there quickly enough and has a tendency to whiff on the block enabling the LB to come up and make the tackle.
SUMMARY - Bakhtiari showed the strength to move guys off the LOS at the college level, although he struggled at times in re-directing DL in run blocking. He shows the ability to maintain his blocks and create openings for the ball carrier, however he does not do a great job in getting to the 2nd level in run blocking and often will whiff on blocks. He gets off the snap quickly enabling him to get leverage at the POA. He slides his feet well and turns his hips nicely and is able to keep his hands inside with good technique without penalty. I am concerned about how he will react against bigger and quicker DL at the next level, specifically due to the fact that in the games reviewed, the DE were not using any pass rush moves and were relying heavily on strength. I am concerned that Bakhtiari will struggle against the bigger and faster players at the next level. In college he had a habit of getting beat around the edges and while he was able to recover in college, he does not show the quickness to recover against faster athletes. Overall, Bakhtiari shows the strength and smarts to play at the next level and showed signs that he can be physical and can be explosive and he will need to utilize those consistently to have success at the next level. He will need to put on some weight as well as he is vulnerable to the bigger DL. He played LT at Colorado, however due to his tendency to get beat off the edges and his size he may struggle at that position and could be shifted.