Bralon Addison, movie buff and wide receiver, didn't get the third-act happy ending to his Oregon Ducks career he'd hoped.



But on the plane ride to Eugene following Saturday's 47-41 loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl, Addison came to an answer to the NFL question he'd long pondered and felt the time was right to go for the opportunity he's always pictured.



Addison is forgoing his senior season at Oregon to enter the 2016 NFL draft.



"I feel like at the collegiate level my ceiling was there," Addison said in a phone interview Monday evening. "I don't know if there was much more I could do to gain, personally, from coming back another year. I know I could have helped the team and things like that, but this has been my dream a long time; I wanted to pursue that."



The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Addison gained 1,192 all-purpose yards during a breakout sophomore season in 2013 and scored nine touchdowns, including two on punt returns.



After tearing ligaments in a knee during 2014 spring practices, an injury that sidelined him for Oregon's run toward the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Addison returned this fall to score 13 touchdowns and gain 1,039 all-purpose yards with a team-leading 63 catches for 804 yards. His 4.8 catches per game ranked eighth in the Pac-12.



"The first couple weeks I didn't feel like myself, so for me to kind of turn that around and the rest of the season get back on track to get to playing at the level I played at, it definitely was special to me," Addison said. "I've always been a competitor my whole life and it's been predicated off of 'He's too small, he can't do this, he can't do that,' but I feel I've always been able to overcome those comments or connotations.



"I think I'll be able to do what I can to showcase my skills at the next level. ... Slot receiver, catching the ball, return man, I think I'll be able to showcase that."



For his career, he gained 12.2 yards per touch from scrimmage and earned all-Pac-12 second-team honors this, his last, season in Eugene.



He hasn't decided where he will train for the NFL combine, but plans to return to UO to take classes toward his degree in the summer.



Addison's five receptions in the Alamo Bowl gave him 146 for a career, moving him past Josh Huff (144, 2010-13) and into eighth all-time at UO. The move up the record book was mitigated by TCU's record rally to win the Alamo Bowl, in which it came back from 31 points down -- matching an all-time bowl record -- to beat Oregon.



"It honestly was hard for me to go into (coach Mark Helfrich's) office two days after a loss like we had," said Addison, who was playing a two-hour drive from home in Missouri City, Texas. "That definitely made it tough. You obviously want to go out on a high note."

Addison is the only UO pass-catcher to leave so far, meaning Oregon returns 73 percent of its catches from 2015. The next UO quarterback will have several options moving forward, from veterans Dwayne Stanford and Darren Carrington to up-and-comers Jalen Brown and Kirk Merritt.



Though Addison showcased his expansive skillset as a returner, blocker and receiver early in his career, it was Addison's junior season that provided a throwback to his days as a high school option quarterback outside of Houston. With Oregon trailing by a touchdown on the road to Colorado on Oct. 3, Addison took a reverse and launched a 39-yard touchdown pass to Charles Nelson.

Addison was such a movie fan that he'd sometimes venture to theaters as far as Portland to catch new flicks on opening night. In retrospect, Addison's own career endured its fair share of plot points -- breakout season, knee injury, return -- starting with his flip on signing day 2012 from Texas A&M to Oregon.



"I've matured into a man since I've been here," he said. "I think I chose the right place."



-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com

@andrewgreif