Happy Birthday to David Bakhtiari!
Packers T David Bakhtiari celebrates his birthday on Sept. 30. See photos and facts from his career. Photos by Evan Siegle, packers.com.
Bakhtiari started all 62 games he played in at left tackle for the Packers in his first four seasons in the league, the most on Green Bay's offensive line over that span (2013-16).
He was selected to his first career Pro Bowl in 2016, having initially been named a first alternate before being selected as an injury replacement for Eagles T Jason Peters.
69 earned second-team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press last season, the first Green Bay tackle to receive All-Pro recognition from AP since Forrest Gregg in 1967 (first-team selection).
Bakhtiari started all 16 games at LT in 2016 for the third time in his career and was part of a line that helped the offense rank in the top 10 in several categories, including points per game (No. 4, 27.0), yards per game (No. 8, 368.8) and first downs (No. 7, 349).
He opened all 14 contests he appeared in at LT in 2015, helping to block for RBs Eddie Lacy (758) and James Starks (601) as they became the first Green Bay duo since 1985 to both rush for 600-plus yards in the same season.
69 started every game at LT in 2014 and helped Green Bay rank No. 1 in the NFL in points per game (30.4), No. 6 in yards per game (386.1) and tied for No. 1 in giveaways with a franchise-record 13.
He was part of a line that allowed just nine sacks in the final eight games in '14, the second-fewest allowed over that span behind only Denver (eight).
Bakhtiari blocked for QB Aaron Rodgers as he ranked No. 1 in the NFL in TD/INT ratio (7.60, 38/5), No. 2 in passer rating (112.2), No. 2 in yards per attempt (8.43) and No. 3 in TD passes (38) on his way to earning NFL Most Valuable Player honors from AP in 2014.
69 was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2014.
By starting every game at LT for the Packers in '13, he became the first rookie to do so for Green Bay since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978.
He became just the fourth Green Bay rookie to start the season opener at LT since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and the first since Ken Ruettgers in 1985.
Of the four rookies to start at LT for the Packers since 1970 (Ruettgers, Bill Bain, Mark Koncar), he was the only one not drafted in the first or second round.
He was the only rookie in the NFL to start all 16 games at LT in 2013.
In 2013, helped Green Bay finish in the top 10 in both rushing (No. 7) and passing (No. 6) for the first time since 2004.
Bakhtiari blocked for Lacy as he rushed for 1,178 yards in 2013, the most by a rookie in team history, as Lacy was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by AP.
He was selected by Green Bay with the first of three fourth-round selections (No. 109 overall), he became the first Colorado offensive lineman to be drafted by the Packers since C Joe Garten in 1991 (sixth round).
