27. David Bakhtiari 

Team: Green Bay Packers

Position: OT

Experience: 7 Years

David Bakhtiari comes in at the #27 spot on our  NFL SneakerReporter Top 30. The 6’4” 310 lbs. Offensive Tackle is simply the best the game has to offer heading into 2019. Bakhtiari was selected in the 4th round with the 109th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers. He has been a model of consistency and health, playing in all 16 regular season games in 4 of his first 6 years as a professional. The other two years he only missed 2 and 4 games with no concerning injuries. After injuries riddled him in his collegiate career at Colorado, he seems to be over such woes.

Bakhtiari captured the starting job right as he entered the league as a rookie. Left tackle is arguably the most important position on the offensive line, and having your Quarterback be Aaron Rodgers severely escalates the stakes. Bakhtiari has been very solid throughout the duration of his short career so far. As a rookie in 2013, Bakhtiari only surrendered 10 accepted penalties all year. He also helped Eddie Lacy rush for 1,178 Yards and capture NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The Packers finished in the Top 10 in Passing and Rushing in 2013 for the first time in a decade. 

The next few years became more of the same, as Bahktiari continued to dominate in his position. Bakhtiari started every game in 2014, helping the Packers finish 1st in the league in scoring at 30.4 Pts/game. He was also the leader of an offensive line that gave up just nine sacks in the final eight games of the 2014 season, the second lowest over that span. Bakhtiari was in complete control of Rodgers blind side all of 2014, which assisted heavily in Rodgers capturing MVP honors that season.

Bakhtiari started all 16 games again in 2016 and collected his first AP All-Pro selection (first team). He became the first Green Bay Tackle to receive this honor since Forrest Gregg in 1967, playing for Vince Lombardi’s Packers. Bakhtiari wasn’t done in 2016, as he earned his first trip to the NFL Pro Bowl, having being named a first alternate and replacing the injured Jason Peters of Philadelphia. In the 28 games Bakhtiari played between 2017-2018, he only committed 7 accepted penalties. 

Last year, Bakhtiari joined Forrest Gregg as the only two Green Bay Packers Tackles to earn Associated Press All-Pro Honors in consecutive seasons. It is without a doubt that David Bakhtiari is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL today. Out of all offensive linemen, Bakhtiari claims the top spot in our SneakerReporter Top 30 Rankings as we count down the days to the 2019 season. With new coaching in place, the Green Bay offense looks to surge to new heights in big thanks to the protection of David Bakhtiari.