National Football League

Packers sign TE Colt Lyerla to undrafted free agent contract

Published May. 19, 2014 6:18 p.m. ET

Ross Jones

The Packers have signed former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla to an undrafted free agent contract, the team announced Monday.

Lyerla, who participated in Green Bay’s two-day rookie minicamp over the weekend, impressed coaches and talent evaluators enough to earn a spot on the 90-man roster.

The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Lyerla is extremely athletic and could have an immediate impact if he keeps his focus. Off-the-field troubles derailed his career in Eugene after he was arrested and accused of cocaine possession and trying to run from police. Lyerla was dismissed in October and had been subsequently training for the NFL Draft process.

"We did a lot of work on Colt," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. "He's a very talented athlete. We interviewed him at the combine. We went through all those procedures, talked to a lot of people. He's a young man that made some mistakes, and we feel like he was worth bringing in and taking a look at."

The Packers spent a fourth-round pick on Cal tight end Richard Rodgers, but are exceedingly thin at the position. Veterans Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick combined for 39 receptions and three touchdowns in 2013.

Lyerla played three seasons at Oregon, hauling in 34 receptions for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ran a 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, which was 1/100 of a second slower than Lions tight end Eric Ebron. Lyerla had a position-best vertical jump of 39 inches.