NFL Teams' Draft Preparations Including Several Oregon State Standouts

With less than a month until the NFL Draft - the weekend of April 24th through the 26th - several Oregon State Beavers football players are on pro teams' radars.

Nov 23, 2024; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers place kicker Everett Hayes (35) kicks an extra point during the third quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The NFL Draft is less than a month away.

In preparation for the high point of pro football’s offseason festivities, we’ve assembled a list of Oregon State centered storylines to watch.

Teams Want to Workout Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan

After performing at the Beavers’ pro day two weeks ago, offensive tackle Gerad Christian-Licthenhan has a pair of Top 30 private visits scheduled with the Chiefs and the Commanders. Generally, teams use their 30 allotted private visits on potential Day 3 sleeper picks, and he certainly fits the bill.

The redshirt-senior has 1 trait coaches can’t teach: size. At 6’9” and 329 pounds, he could have the length to fend off long-armed edge rushers like Maxx Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, and the Bosa brothers. 

Recently, Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star projected the Oregon State tackle as a Chief in his latest mock draft, selected in the 7th round.

Joshua Gray Could Go Anywhere, Play Anywhere

As we wrote last month, Joshua Gray put up respectable numbers at the NFL combine, including a strong Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.50. 

At Oregon State’s pro day in Corvallis, Gray followed up on that performance. Measuring in at 6’5” and 299 pounds, many scouts see him slotting inside, but the senior from Rancho Cucamonga has experience all over the offensive line.

Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell ranks Gray as the draft’s 21st highest-rated tackle prospect - good for a Day 3 pick between rounds 4 and 6 - but acknowledges that teams may try him at guard or center. At the combine in February, Gray stayed after drills to practice snapping the football. Between his wealth of experience (56 starts), positional versatility, and athleticism, Gray will likely have a long list of suitors on Day 3.

Everett Hayes and Jermaine Terry Might Stay Close to Home

Per The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler, Oregon State tight end Jermaine Terry and kicker Everett Hayes each have visits lined up with teams on the west coast.

The Seahawks and 49ers will work out Terry at their respective Local Day workouts in early April, a bonus pro day where prospects from nearby colleges and/or hometowns work out at the NFL teams facility. The Seahawks have also invited Hayes to their Local Day workout. 

Following Atticus Sappington’s transfer to arch-rivals Oregon, the redshirt-senior Hayes performed admirably as the Beavers’ starting placekicker. This past Fall he was 10/15 on field goal tries, with a season long 55 yarder to beat Washington State. Back in the 2021 season, Hayes drilled a 60 yard kick against Colorado, and found the netting from 52 yards away against Arizona State. 

Kickers rarely go high in the draft - in the 21st century, only 5 kickers have been drafted in the top 3 rounds - but Hayes’ leg is worth picking on Day 3.

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