Mike Hass Draft Fallout

There were 21 receivers drafted before Oregon State's Mike Hass was selected by New Orleans in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

   "And some of those guys ran a slower (40-yard dash) time than I did," Hass says.

   Time will tell whether NFL scouts are right to judge the Biletnikoff Trophy winner as too slow to make it in the pro game. I happen to think a guy who can go up and get the ball amid the best college defenders as well as Hass did can make it at the pro level, but we'll see.

   The Saints have veterans Donte' Stallworth and Joe Horn to lead their receiving corps, but this is a team that needs help at nearly every position. A good team for Hass to go to?

   "Hey, it's an NFL team," he says. "I feel great about it. I'm happy to be going to them."

   When the Saints chose Hass on Sunday, Reggie Bush happened to be standing nearby.

   "He told (New Orleans officials) he was happy about them picking me," Hass says. "That's a good feeling."

   OSU coach Mike Riley served one season as assistant head coach with the Saints in 2003 before returning to the Beavers, but there aren't any coaches left from his time there. And oddly, nobody from the club called Riley to ask about Hass.

The waiting is over for Mike Hass.

The prolific walk-on-to-wonder receiver from Oregon State was taken in the sixth round of the NFL draft to New Orleans, with the 171st overall pick.

Hass, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, set a Pacific-10 record with 1,532 receiving yards last season, becoming the first player in conference history with three seasons of 1,000-plus yards receiving.

Hass holds Oregon State records with 3,924 receiving yards and 220 career catches. He shares the school record for career receiving touchdowns with 20.

But Hass was timed in the 40 in 4.59 seconds, which scouts considered slow.