The Green Bay Packers have a lock future Hall of Famer in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but his left tackle is charting a similar path towards Canton.
David Bakhtiari, a fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2013, has built an impressive resume over the last seven years.
Since 2013, Bakhtiari leads all NFL offensive tackles in Approximate Value, a comparative measure charted by Pro Football Reference. He’s also a four-time All-Pro selection, including a first-team pick in 2018.
Even if he’s already peaked, his peak was terrific. Between 2016 and 2019, Bakhtiari had the ninth-highest Approximate Value in all of football, and there’s a strong case to be made that he was the top left tackle in the NFL during those four seasons.
At the very least, he’s been an elite pass-blocking left tackle for much of his career, despite blocking for an unconventional quarterback that often stresses his offensive tackles by holding the football and extending plays, and despite the game shifting more and more towards the passing game and defenses countering with big, fast and talented edge rushers.
Since giving up 14 total sacks during his first two NFL seasons, Bakhtiari has allowed only 14 in the five seasons since. According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari has allowed just 28 sacks over 7,136 total snaps at left tackle since 2013. In fact, he’s given up just 193 total pressures in seven seasons, or roughly 27 per season and a little under two a game.
Back in 2018, Rodgers said he believed Bakhtiari was on a Hall of Fame path.
“He’s an All-Pro. I think he has Hall of Fame potential,” Rodgers said. “He’s an incredible player. He’s been a rock for us. When he’s over there, you feel really comfortable with him locking down pass rushers throughout the game.”
While Bakhtiari had some early issues adjusting to a new offense in 2019, he settled down and once again proved to be one of the NFL’s top pass-blockers. He produced 14 games without a sack allowed and gave up one or fewer pressures in eight of his final 10 games, including a seven-game streak without a sack allowed.
Going into his second year in the scheme, and with a new contract providing some exterior motivation, Bakhtiari should be in a position to put together another terrific season. He’s still only 28 years old and should be completely healthy entering 2020.
How many more great seasons does he need to make Canton? A few more All-Pro selections and possibly even a Super Bowl could push him closer to lock status.
The Hall of Fame is rightly reserved for the best of the best. Not just the very good, but the best. Bakhtiari, at this moment, is probably straddling the line between very good and the best. But through the power of consistent greatness, he’s getting closer and closer to entering the next tier every season.
It’s unclear if the Packers will have Bakhtiari in Green Bay past 2020, but not many teams let All-Pro offensive tackles walk. A few more excellent years blocking the blindside for Aaron Rodgers and he might one day wear a gold jacket alongside the legendary quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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