CORVALLIS – Two months into Oregon State football winter conditioning drills, one of the payoffs came Friday at the Beaver Combine.
An NFL combine-style event staged at the Truax Indoor Center, everyone able on the football roster participated, doing a shuttle run, three-cone drill, 40-yard dash and broad jump.
But clearly, one drill interested the players above all.
“The 40,” inside linebacker Avery Roberts said. “That’s the money maker.”
Though times will not be made available by the football staff until this weekend, players clearly had a clue. As they ran through the finish line, a half-dozen coaches, including head coach Jonathan Smith, snapped their stopwatch and came up with a time average.
After the run out, players walked past the coaches.
“Oh yeah, they were asking,” Smith said about their times.
Roberts said outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr. was one of the players who caught his eye running the 40. Which amused Rashed, the school’s single-season sack and tackle for loss leader, as he thoroughly enjoyed the four-drill competition.
“It’s fun seeing people’s times. Also you get to talk stuff if you beat people,” Rashed said.
And yes, Rashed was talking.
“Oh, mostly definitely,” he said. “I was forced to do good. I felt like I had to come here and show out even though I was injured.”
Rashed is recovering from offseason thumb surgery. He’ll be able to participate in non-contact drills when spring practice begins Tuesday. It’s limited what he could do in some of the strength training exercises the past two months. Rashed says he’s put on about 15 pounds, but his body fat has gone up a little.
“That’s the injury,” Rashed said. “But I can still run.”
Smith walked around the indoor center and watched some of the drills, but mostly sat at the 40 finish line timing sprints. This is the second year Oregon State has held a combine event just before the start of spring practice. Smith says he can see it sticking around for a while, because players like the competition, get something out of it, and “this is what these guys dream about doing, doing the combine.”
Many of the receivers and cornerbacks ran fast, as expected. But among the linemen, Smith said redshirt freshman defensive end Cory Stover and offensive linemen Brandon Kipper and Jake Levingood caught his eye.
Overall, Smith said he was impressed with what he saw in body type changes, speed and strength.
“Compared to last year, it feels like we’re better,” Smith said.
Next Tuesday, the action goes outside when the team holds the first of 15 spring practices.
“Seems like it’s been forever since last season ended,” Roberts said. “I’m just excited to get going again, and being out there with this group of guys.”
While Rashed says the start of spring practice is exciting because “it’s an opportunity to play the game that I love,” make no mistake about the offseason activities.
“It shouldn’t be fun,” Rashed said. “It should be a grind. No matter what. We’ve got stuff to do, came so close to winning eight games. It’s got to be a grind. It’s fun to compete in stuff like (the combine), but it can’t be fun the next couple months.”
Rashed, who opted to return to school and bypass the NFL draft after last year’s record-breaking season, said the objective is clear for him in 2020.
“The goal is to win way more games and leave this place better than I found it,” he said.
--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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