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There was a void left in the Green Bay Packers‘ pass attack, after a serious neck injury ended Tight-End Jermichael Finley 2013 season and perhaps his career. The high powered offense of Aaron Rodgers and company looks to Oregon for the answer in a set of good hands and explosive speed. This playmaker comes with low risk and huge rewards, if all goes as planned. The Pacific North-Westerner that I am referring to is none other than Hillsboro native, Colt Lyerla.
Lyerla was one among many top athletes, who received an invitation to the NFL Combine. This 6’4″ 242 lb baller was a football legend in Oregon. He was known as one of the top running backs in the nation at Hillsboro High; there he ran for 3,000 yards in just two years. In his junior year, Lyerla was All-State at LB and RB when he scored 39 touchdowns. Colt went on to play a phenomenal freshman season at the college level under then head coach Chip Kelly where he registered 6 TDs on 25 receptions for 392 yards as a TE, and rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown. As a freshman, Lyerla was compared by many pundits to two-time pro bowl TE Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.
Unfortunately for Lyerla, Kelly left Oregon after the 2012 season to accept the head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the words of one anonymous AFC scout “When Chip left it really hurt him. He (Kelly) became like his father because Colt really has a messed-up family background.” After playing at such a high level and being compared to pro bowl players, Lyeria abruptly quit the Oregon Ducks just three games into the 2013 season. Soon after leaving the team Lyerla was arrested for possession of cocaine and subsequently plead guilty. Despite running a 4.61 in the 40 yd. dash, and having the best vertical (36.5) and broad jump (10’6″) among TEs, Colt was not chosen in the 2014 NFL draft regardless of being labeled a first round talent.
The abrupt departure from the team (even if for legitimate reasons) and the cocaine possession caused the physically gifted Lyerla to fall completely off the draft boards of all 32 NFL teams. This would be a crippling blow to most small town football hero’s, but not Colt. The young man Author and Comedian Mark Saltevit once labeled “the hyper-talented train wreck tight end” has just kept pressing forward. Along the way, skilled evaluators such as Dwight Ross noticed Lyeria’s abilities and the untapped potential of the kid from the wrong side of the tracks. Ross a consultant for prospective pro football players and Director of Player Development at Performance Athletics stated “He is still the best tight end in the draft and the most explosive and honestly has so much upside between the sidelines.” Thankfully Mr. Ross wasn’t the only one paying attention to the Lyeria’s athleticism and raw talent.
After receiving an invitation to a two day rookie try out camp in May, Green Bay signed Colt to the 90 man roster. Green Bay has a unique ability at finding players with a less then perfect pedigree and turning them from coal to diamonds. They have a “high octane offense” with one of the top five QBs in the league in Aaron Rodgers. Colt will receive plenty of opportunities to shine in this system, which relies heavily on the TE position. This shot a redemption is not lost on a repentant Lyerla who told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “I put myself in a position where my back’s against the wall, to the point that if I don’t do everything perfect and the right way, I wont be able to play football, let alone be successful in any shape or form.”
In what could be this Lyerla’s last chance to be a professional football player, he could not ask for a better organization to try and catch on with. The Packers are well known for giving undrafted free agents plenty of playing time and rank fourth in the league since 2010 in awarding these players roster spots. Also, the Packers’ Ted Thompson is the best general manger in the business. Thompson took a special interest in Colt stating to ESPN “We have always believed that, or I have always believed, that there are certain things that people can atone for, acknowledge their mistakes and get on with their lives. I am a proponent of those kind of people that try to do that. That’s where we’re at with Colt.” Along with the love from the front office, Colt is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Recently when he made a leaping catch in OTA‘s the crowd let out loud cheers and yelled his name along with words of encouragement. Lyeria is the wild card in all of this. He must stay away from the people, places and things that will bring him down. On an interesting side note, I wrote Colt a message on Facebook yesterday. He immediately replied in a kind and respectful manner to a complete stranger. Something he could have easily ignored. Sometimes good kids make bad mistakes. Here is one sportswriter that hopes Colt Lyerla goes all the way to the to the Super Bowl.
Christopher DuVall is a Writer for CouchRiderReport.com. Follow him on Facebook.
