NFL Rumors: Scouts ripped into Colt Lyerla prior to draft

It wasn’t a surprise last weekend at the NFL Draft when former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla wasn’t selected. Given all of the off-the-field issues that eventually contributed to his dismissal from the school.

While his actions alone were enough not to get him drafted, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, in the lead up to the draft, scouts going around and tearing into him didn’t help him neither.

Here are some examples from the report of what they were saying about Lyerla.

AFC scout: “There’s some off-field stuff with him that’s kind of scary. I’m not a huge fan. He’s more of a receiver. He doesn’t block well. Knowing Ted (Thompson), he’s not worth the trouble. I don’t think Ted would mess with a guy like that.”

AFC scout: “He’s the wild card in this whole thing. Extremely talented kid. Quit the team this year. Has had multiple off-the-field issues. Just a real nightmare in that regard. Is he going to be the Aaron Hernandez kind of player, a first-round talent that somebody gets in the fourth round? Colt quit. Aaron played. It’s hard to justify all the quitting.”

AFC scout: “I wouldn’t sign him. I wouldn’t do that to my owner.”

NFC scout: “Kid’s a mess. He is probably one of the worst kids in this draft. He screwed up everything. Drugs. Quitting. You name it, it’s happened. I would never trust him. I couldn’t imagine anybody taking him with those credentials. No way.”

Of course, the Green Bay Packers ended up bringing Lyerla in to their mini-camp and signed him this week, where he will now get a chance to prove all of the doubters wrong.