EUGENE -- Like any Oregon receiver, Darren Carrington wants to be the player who fills the void left by the injured knee of Bralon Addison, and the redshirt freshman is confident he'll contribute on the field this fall.

Right now though? Not so much.

Carrington is recovering from a right hand injury suffered April 4 and recently traded in a cast for a less-intrusive brace that holds two fingers stuck together. The injury has limited his involvement in spring football practices to what he calls "mental reps" and conditioning.

But in a positive sign, Carrington -- who sports an auburn stripe down the middle of his close-cut hair -- left practice Monday wearing full pads. The undisclosed injury was not considered serious by head coach Mark Helfrich, who said he expected Carrington to return for spring practices only days after the injury.

"(Rehab) has gone pretty well, just trying to keep my mind focused for my comeback, and just ready to hopefully come back in the fall," Carrington said Monday.

Much is expected of Carrington, a 6-foot-2, 192-pound San Diego native, and that was before offensive coordinator Scott Frost said last week that Carrington burnished a reputation last fall as "probably the best scout team receiver they ever had."

Carrington graduated from as a four-year letterman from Horizon High and a four-star recruit. He caught 51 passes for 902 yards as a senior, including 12 touchdowns, and also played quarterback and safety.

This spring, he's one of a half-dozen UO receivers trying to play the role of breakout newcomer.

"Bralon, to me, is our go-to guy here so with that happening, I think a lot of us young receivers here have to step up and make some plays for us," Carrington said.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota didn't specify one area where Carrington excels, preferring instead to call him a "great overall receiver" who is "going to do everything" after learning multiple positions during winter conditioning workouts.

"So far he’s done well, and hopefully he’s able to continue that," Mariota said. "When he comes back healthy we’re looking forward to seeing big things from him."

-- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif