David Bakhtiari | Tackle | Colorado | 6'4" - 300 lbs.
BiographyNOTE: He declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft on January 7, 2013, forgoing his senior year of eligibility.
AT COLORADO:
2012 (Jr.)—He earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors from the league coaches for a second straight year, also tabbed second-team by Phil Steele’s College Football and collegesportsmadness.com. He was a first-team All-Colorado performer as selected by the state’s chapter of the National Football Foundation for the second time as well, and he was the co-recipient of the John Mack Award as the team’s most outstanding offensive player. CU’s beat media also selected him as the co-winner of the Best Interview Award. He started 11 games at left offensive tackle (missing the Oregon game with a slight knee sprain, though he traveled and tried to make a go of it in pregame). He graded out as the team’s top lineman at 89.8 percent, with 655 “plus” plays out 729 total. He was second on the team in “will-breaker” blocks with 41 (similar to pancakes, but tougher to earn), allowed just two-and-a-half quarterback sacks and only one pressure, with two direct touchdown blocks and over three dozen downfield blocks. He graded out above 80 percent in all 11 games he appeared, with a season-best of 92.5 percent grade against Washington State. He was on the official watch lists for both the Outland Trophy (one of 18 offensive tackles and 71 players listed overall) and the Lombardi Award (one of 128 on its list). Phil Steele’s College Football placed him on its preseason first-team All-Pac 12 squad and ranked him as the No. 29 tackle in the nation, while Athlon’s, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, ESPN.com and Lindy’s Sports also selected him on their first-team All-Pac 12 units.
2011 (Soph.)—He earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors from the league coaches, Phil Steele’s College Football and collegesportsmadness.com, was a second-team sophomore All-American by collegefootballnews.com and a first-team All-Colorado performer as selected by the state’s chapter of the National Football Foundation. He started 11 games at left offensive tackle; he suffered a severe knee sprain on just the seventh offensive play of the game in the season opener at Hawai’i and missed the next two games (Cal, CSU). He graded out to 84.4 percent for the season, second highest of all the offensive linemen (532 plus plays out of 630 total snaps), he had 21 “great effort” blocks, two touchdown blocks and 12 downfield blocks while allowing just two quarterbacks sacks and three pressures; he was called for just one penalty all year. His top game grade was 90.4 percent at Ohio State, his first game back after the injury, and graded out to 80 percent or better in nine of his 11 games. He entered the fall atop the depth chart at left tackle, as he switched over from the right side where he played as a redshirt freshman; he basically was groomed to replace CU consensus All-American and Outland Trophy finalist Nate Solder on the left side.
2010 (Fr.-RS)—He played in all 12 games, starting 11; he did not start against Texas Tech, but did play 24 snaps. He earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors from collegefootballnews.com, and was an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer by the Associated Press; the state’s chapter of the NFF/College Hall of Fame selected him second-team All-Colorado. He played the third most snaps on offense, 796, trailing Nate Solder and Ryan Miller, and with 715 “plus” plays, he graded out to 89.8 percent for the year, second best among the O-lineman (behind Solder’s 94.3). He graded out to 80 percent or higher in all 12 games, and 90 percent or greater seven times. He had 59 finishing/knockdown blocks, fourth on the team (eight versus Iowa State was his single-game high), with three touchdown blocks, tied for the third-most. He allowed just one quarterback sack and seven pressures, but was flagged for six penalties, most early in the season when he was getting his feet wet. He had five or more finish/KD blocks on eight occasions, and his best single-game grade of 94.7 percent came in a dominant performance against Kansas State (71 plus plays out of 75 total). At Kansas, he recovered a fumble after a quarterback sack and returned it seven yards, reducing a 13-yard loss to six.
2009 (Fr.)—Redshirted; he practiced on the offensive line the entire fall.
HIGH SCHOOL—A two-year letterman in football, he was named honorable-mention All-Western Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), All-Metro (Bay Area) and All-San Mateo County as a senior when the team finished 8-4 under Patrick Walsh and won the WCAL championship while making it to the state semifinals. He was honored by the Bay Area News Group as a member of the 2008 Cream of the Crop team among senior football players, ranking No. 8 out of the 25 players from northern California selected on college potential after a survey of college coaches. His senior season was his first as a starter on the football field at any level. Most memorable games include Sacred Heart when he held highly touted senior Kevin Greene to no sacks and just a pair of tackles in a 42-14 victory, against De La Salle when Junipero Serra lost 29-28 but it was to one of the top teams in the state and against Gilroy when he had at least eight pancake blocks. He has also lettered twice in lacrosse as a sophomore and junior (lacrosse is played in the spring), winning the Lock Down award as the team’s top hitter. He captained the team as a sophomore and played since seventh grade but Junipero Serra only added the sport his sophomore year.
ACADEMICS—He is majoring in Communication at Colorado. He earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 honors as a redshirt freshman.
PERSONAL—He was born Sept. 30, 1991 in San Mateo, Calif. He considers himself a gym rat, enjoying lifting, basketball, swimming, waterskiing and snow skiing. His oldest brother, Eric, was a defensive lineman at the University of San Diego and is in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. Another older brother, Andrew, is a junior defensive end at USD. An uncle, Dan Jackson, played quarterback at California. He wants to return to California after graduation to work with and eventually take over his father’s (Karl) real estate business. One of his two middle names is unique: Afrisiab. (Last name is pronounced Bock-T-are-E.)