2021 NFL Draft prospects to watch: PAC-12 Conference
By Kyle Edmond
Oregon State – Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Edge Rusher, Redshirt Senior
Currently sixth in the Oregon State record book for both tackles for loss, with 34, and sacks with 16.5, Hamilcar Rashed Jr. is a name that should come up more as we get closer to the 2021 NFL Draft.
A 2019 All-American, some First-Team, and some Second-Team depending on the source, Rashed made a strong impression during the 2019 season. As a team, Oregon State totaled 32 sacks on the year. Of those, 14 belonged to Rashed. Similarly, the Beavers had 86 tackles for loss on the year. Of those, 22.5 were recorded by Rashed. He also forced two fumbles and was third on the team in tackles with 62. All this leading to a First-Team All-PAC-12 selection.
A force off the edge, there’s little question of what Rashed was able to produce last year. The numbers speak for themselves. The task ahead for him will be proving it wasn’t a fluke. During the 2018 season, Rashed had just 2.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Those numbers aren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t as impressive as his 2019 stats.
Should he prove that he can repeat his dominant 2019 season and log similar stats, then he should very easily be put into the first-round conversation as an edge rusher. If his numbers fall back to resemble more of his 2018 self, then he should still be a depth pick, but he would go much later in the draft.