When the NFL Draft concluded last May, former Oregon Duck tight end Colt Lyerla remained without a team going un-drafted. In part due to comments he made on Twitter.
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In March of 2013, Lyerla took to Twitter and called the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting “a government conspiracy to support gun control.” He later apologized and would quit the team later that year in October for personal reasons.
Lyerla was signed as an un-drafted free agent on May 19th by the Green Bay Packers. If he can keep his head together, he possesses a world of talent according to Philadelphia Eagles wide-receiver and former Lyerla teammate, Josh Huff.
According to the Milwuakee Journal-Sentinel, Huff thinks that Lyerla can ben better than Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. That would be quite the steal for Green Bay. It would be a steal if Lyerla could be half of what those two are.
Huff isn’t the only former Duck talking up Lyerla. Cornerback Terrance Mitchell called Lyerla a “beast”.
"“Colt is a beast. I don’t know how to explain it. A monster, a beast. … He could be anything he wants to be. He could be a top tight end in the NFL for sure.”"
The Packers need a big strong seam splitting tight end but the question remains as to whether or not Lyerla’s inner demons will hold him back. Making the jump to the NFL is not an easy one for any footballer and the rookie season rarely goes well for most incoming collegiate players. Lyerla will at least have a strong supporting cast in Green Bay and one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers. All he has to do is keep his head straight and who knows, maybe Josh Huff might be right.