For the next couple weeks we will be counting down the top 15 Colorado football players since the 2005-2006 season. Of course, it’s not the most fun decade to be looking it, but I think the down period created an interesting challenge when creating this list.
As it always goes with these lists, there is not an exact formula to determine the top 15, but I tried to weigh a player’s success at CU over all other factors, but of course things like NFL success and fan favorite status creeped into the decision making process.
I’m sure people will disagree with placement on the lists, or certain players being left off, but that’s part of the fun of these, so as we work down the list, let me know where you disagree!
Without further adieu let’s begin the countdown with #15.
#15 – David Bakhtiari
With his senior year being his first season as a starter at any level on the football field, its no surprise that David Bakhtiari was only rated as a two-star prospect by rivals.com. Also surely taken into that consideration was that “Bak” weighed only 266 pounds at the time, leading him to take a redshirt season.
A very slight Bakhtiari as a freshman
During his red-shirt year, Bakhtiari would add nearly 25 pounds to his frame, making him ready for the call to start in the next season opener against Colorado State, with projected starter Bryce Givens nursing an ankle injury. He took that opportunity and ran with it, starting 11 out of 12 games that season, trailing only Nate Solder in terms of his offensive line grades (89.4). He was recognized as an honorable mention Freshman All-American by collegefootballnews.com, and honorable mention All-Big XII by the associated press.
During the next two seasons, Bak would start 22 out of 25 games, earning second team All-Pac-12 honors both years by the league’s coaches, and Phil Steele’s College Football. As a junior in 2012, he would be on the watch lists for both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
On January 7, 2013, just a few months before he would have started Spring Football, Bakhtiari decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL draft. He was selected in the fourth round by the Green Bay Packers, as the 109th pick.
Another injury paved the way for him to get into the starting lineup, and again, Bak hasn’t let go of it, starting every game at left tackle for the Packers as a rookie, and forcing the team to move previous starter, Bryan Bulaga, to right tackle.
Most recently, Bakhtiari has been in the news for getting he and some of his fellow Packers into the Movie Pitch Perfect 2, when he reached out to the director on twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYdEdpf94II
Stay tuned to BSNBuffs.com as we count down to #1!
