Colt Lyerla Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession

Colt Lyerla's NFL dreams remain on track.

The former Oregon Ducks tight end was arrested on October 24 on charges of cocaine possession. Greg Bolt of The Register-Guard reported that Lyerla received a 10-day jail sentence in addition to two years probation. Lyerla is allowed to move to Las Vegas in order to train for the 2014 draft.

Andrew Greif of The Oregonian has the particulars of Lyerla's probation.

Lyerla had left Oregon a few weeks before his arrest. In a statement, he said, via USA Today Sports, "I love everyone at Oregon; everyone's on good terms, I believe. Just for my own benefit, it was time to move on."

This is a player with a few red flags, but his talent could make him a hot commodity for some teams.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com provided a brief scouting report of the tight end:

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Measuring 6-foot-4 and weighing 246 pounds with speed reportedly in the 4.5-second range (in the 40-yard dash), Lyerla is one of the hybrid tight-end-types that are currently taking the NFL by storm. He has the speed to blow past defenders on vertical routes and displays the short-area quickness and burst to run away from linebackers out of breaks. Additionally, Lyerla is an overpowering athlete capable of muscling smaller defensive backs at the top of routes to create separation. Factor in his strong hands and wide catching radius, and Lyerla is the kind of threat offensive coordinators love to feature in the game plan, especially on third down or in the red zone.

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Brooks also interviewed an unnamed NFC South scout who discussed Lyerla's off-field issues:

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He's going to be a problem. He reportedly has some issues with alcohol, fights and other stuff at school. ... Bad dude. ... Nothing malicious, but the kind of stuff that makes you worry about how he will handle the pro lifestyle. ... He has a tendency to go off the rails when he leaves a structured environment.

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It's not unheard of that a prospect has an ignominious end to his college career, only to impress coaches and scouts at the combine and then stay out of trouble in the NFL. Adam Hoge of CBS Chicago evoked the name of Tyrann Mathieu to present an example of what could happen with Lyerla.

CBS Sports projects Lyerla as a fifth- or sixth-round prospect. It's anybody's guess if this most recent news will have an adverse or beneficial effect on his draft potential.

There's no doubt that Lyerla will be one of the most intriguing prospects when May rolls around. Each and every year, the draft has a couple of phenomenal talents carrying massive baggage. As a result, they drop from the first or second rounds to the fourth or fifth rounds or maybe even later.

It's likely not a matter of whether Lyerla will be drafted, but which team will decide the risk is worth the possible reward. There's little doubt that on talent alone, this is a player with first-round potential.

But only time will tell when Lyerla may have his name called.