Green Bay Packers 2018 roster review: David Bakhtiari
Reviewing David Bakhtiari’s second All-Pro season with the Green Bay Packers.
David Bakhtiari will go down as one of Ted Thompson‘s best draft picks as Green Bay Packers general manager.
He used a Day 3 selection on Bakhtiari, who has gone on to become one of the NFL’s premier left tackles.
Let’s review his 2017 season, and also look into the crystal ball.
Season in review
It was another excellent season for Bakhtiari, who continues to prove why he’s one of the league’s very best at the left tackle position.
While he was surprisingly not selected to the Pro Bowl, Bakhtiari’s work earned him a second-team All-Pro honor for the second straight year.
He was also given the highest pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus, and named to their All-Pro team. According to PFF, Bakhtiari allowed just 12 pressures all season.
David Bakhtiari was the best in the biz this year pic.twitter.com/xpByrHz97x
— PFF GB Packers (@PFF_Packers) January 31, 2018
The reason he didn’t make the Pro Bowl was likely due to a couple of factors.
The first is that he missed four games through injury. To me that’s not a good enough reason. The second is that he plays for the Packers, who struggled offensively and finished 7-9. I mean, surely it’s impossible for a team to lose games but also feature a Pro Bowler? Again, not a good reason.
Bakhtiari might have missed the Pro Bowl, but I’m sure opposing pass rushers would argue for his selection. After all, few escaped Bakhtiari Island this past season.
Looking ahead to 2018 season
Bakhtiari is one of the Packers’ best players, and he will remain a crucial piece on offense. If he can stay healthy for 16 games, we can expect another All-Pro level season from the fourth-round pick.
New general manager Brian Gutekunst has some tough decisions to make this offseason, while also trying to fix a number of weak areas on Green Bay’s roster.
Left tackle isn’t one of those concerns. Gutekunst will likely look for offensive line depth this offseason, but as long as Bakhtiari is healthy, the Packers have one less area to worry about.
Next: Packers: 12 players that need to go this offseason
In all likelihood, Bakhtiari will continue to slip under the radar and remain one of the Packers’ unsung heroes.