New Orleans, Buffalo draft former Oregon State stars in the sixth round

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times

Waiting was nerve-raking, but finally being picked was worth the wait for Mike Hass and Keith Ellison.

The Oregon State seniors were selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft late Sunday morning. They were the only Beavers taken this year.

Hass was chosen by the New Orleans Saints, who used the 171st overall pick on the wide receiver from Portland. Ellison, a linebacker from Inglewood, Calif., was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 178th pick.

“It’s very exciting now that I get to start my NFL career,” Hass said. “I’ve been waiting for this. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I’m ready for it. This is a dream come true.”

Wide receiver Demetrius Williams and defensive back Justin Phinisee were the Oregon players chosen on the second day of the draft. The Baltimore Ravens grabbed Williams in the fourth round and Tampa Bay took Phinisee in the seventh.

Hass, a former walk-on from Jesuit High, was the 22nd wide receiver selected in the draft. Although he was the go-to receiver at OSU the last two seasons and won the Biletnikoff Award for being the NCAA’s best receiver, NFL teams waited to take a chance on him.

“I knew I wasn’t going to get drafted the first day, so I went fishing Saturday,” Hass said. “And then (Sunday) I just tried to stay busy. I only watched the draft in tidbits.”

Hass was on the way to the store to burn off energy when he was called by coach Sean Payton, asking if he wanted to be part of the Saints. After an emphatic yes, Hass celebrated with his family and then the engineering major studied for today’s thermal dynamics midterm.

Catching 220 passes for 3,924 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons for the Beavers wasn’t enough. Scouts try to project how an athlete will do in the NFL.

The 6-foot, 210-pounder is considered slow for the league, recording 40-yard dash times from 4.58-4.65 seconds.

Quicker than 4.5 is preferable. The average time at this year’s combine was 4.51 from the 40 invited, of which Hass was one of them.

He performed well in the clutch and has the size to go over the middle, take a hit and keep on going after contact. That might lead to him moving from an outside receiver to the slot position.

Scouts feel he lacks the explosiveness to burst off the ball and struggles to get separation in routes. Getting off the line against more aggressive and talented NFL cornerbacks may be difficult.

Hass never let that line of thinking bother him before, and won’t start now.

“If I’m successful in the NFL, then there’s nothing they can say anymore,” Hass said. “This is just the next step I have to take.”

Ellison is a 6-1, 229-pound outside linebacker who was productive for the Beavers in two seasons. His 25½ tackles for a loss rank ninth in OSU history.

His speed and coverage ability were attractive, being a former safety. The scouts, however, wonder about his size. Problems occurred when blockers got a hold of him.

Ellison could be a standout special teams player while he bulks up to NFL standards at his position, which is around 240.

“This is a big day for me, and an exciting time for my family,” Ellison said on the phone from his Southern California home. “This was what I’ve been waiting for, for a long time.”

Ellison was called by the Bills when the team was on the clock for the next pick, and was told it was between him and another player. The Bills talked it out among themselves with Ellison on the line.

After sweating out those final moments, he was told to watch the television and listen for his name.

Ellison reports to a mini camp this weekend, but plans to finish out the spring term and hopefully graduate in the summer before the NFL season. Hass leaves for camp in two weeks, but will be back to graduate in June.

“I’m excited to be picked by the Bills,” Ellison said. “They were a great team back in the 1990s, and they are on their way back up again. They have a great fan base, and I want to be part of that.”

Four other OSU players with pro potential are still looking for teams: defensive tackles Alvin Smith and Sir Henry Anderson, linebacker Trent Bray and punter Sam Paulescu.

They will try to sign with teams as free agents or decide to pursue other opportunities such as in the Canadian Football League or the arena leagues.

Williams was selected 114th overall by the Ravens. The 6-2, 198-pound receiver joins Oregon teammate, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who was taken by the club in the first round Saturday.

Scouts like Williams because of his height and speed, running the 40 in 4.55 seconds. He runs smooth routes and can create separation from a defensive back, but doesn’t have ability to run away from the defense.

Other knocks on him including dropping too many passes, that he doesn’t fight aggressively for balls, is rather lean and loses focus.

Phinisee is 5-10, 197, and fits the mold at cornerback with speed and limited size.

Read more about the Beavers on the Oregon State blog at www.gazettetimes.com.