EUGENE --

was a big part of the Oregon offense last season, but the junior tight end who also moonlighted as a fullback, says he wants to see the ball more this season.

“I want more chances to show what I can do,’’ said Lyerla, who had 25 catches, 13 rushes and seven touchdowns last season. “I feel like I have more to show that I can do.’’

He’s probably right. A 6-foot-5, 250-pound mass of athleticism, Lyerla is one of the more gifted specimens on a loaded Ducks roster -- a hulk who can run past, jump over and out muscle most everyone.

But there’s a catch.

In order for the Oregon coaches to look to him more often, Ducks tight ends coach Tom Osborne says Lyerla needs to be in better condition, have better discipline, fewer assignment errors and play hard all the time.

Through a little more than a week of practice, Osborne says he has yet to see those attributes from Lyerla.

Osborne cautioned that nobody in the Ducks fall camp is in tip-top shape, and everybody is working off the rust from summer, so Lyerla is not unique. But Lyerla’s potential is unique, which can lead to some frustrating moments from the coaching staff.

“Yeah, because he could be really, really good,’’ Osborne said. “He could be really, really good.’’

Osborne knows what he is talking about. In the last 15 years, no position in Oregon football has sent more players to the NFL than tight end (seven), with Osborne coaching five of them. The Ducks’ reputation for producing tight ends has reached a point where it’s a recruiting tool.

“As a recruit, you want to play for the best, and coach Oz is that,’’ said sophomore Pharaoh Brown. “All you have to do is look at all the tight ends he has sent to the NFL.’’

Lyerla, who starred at Hillsboro High, said he wasn’t aware of Osborne’s history until he arrived in Eugene. Between stints at Oregon, Osborne coached at Arizona State, where over three years Zach Miller caught more passes than any other tight end in the country.

“After I got here and met with coach Oz, I started seeing all the tight ends he has worked with and put in the NFL, and the success is apparent,’’ Lyerla said.

It would seem Lyerla has the physical tools to play at the next level, but it’s the little things - conditioning, proper technique - that could use some fine tuning.

“But we are just getting into camp - every guy goes through that,’’ Osborne said. “We’re not happy with anybody. I mean, if we were satisfied with someone after seven days ...’’

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being game shape, Lyerla said he is a seven today. He said his conditioning won’t be a problem when the Aug. 31 season opener arrives against Nicholls State University.

“I’m working to prove to the coaches every day in practice that they can trust and depend on me,’’ Lyerla said.

He said his biggest struggle is being more consistent. In the past, coaches have said Lyerla can make an All-American block one play, then botch an assignment on the next play.

“That’s something I’m trying to figure out,’’ Lyerla said of being more consistent. “When you go from high school to college, everything changes. It goes from being just a regular football game to being pretty much a business. The problem I had was adjusting to the business side of things (meetings, film study). But as I have gotten older, I have gotten a lot better and improved in those areas. I’m still improving.’’

While there is still question to how much Lyerla’s role in the Oregon offense is expanded, there is no doubting his importance, especially with a recent injury to Brown, who figured to be his backup. Brown last week injured his left leg, required a cast and crutches, leaving backup tight end duties to an unproven cast that includes sophomore Koa Ka’ai (6-foot-4, 242), redshirt freshman Evan Baylis (6-6, 245) and freshman John Mundt (6-4, 232).

Brown,

, said he doesn’t expect to miss more than a couple of weeks with his injury. He said his cast is due to come off Friday after which he will be able to walk and begin getting back in the flow.

“I’m going to take it slow, but I’ll be back on the ground running,’’ Brown said.

Osborne said Brown (6-foot-6, 241 pounds) had “night and day” improvement from last year, his freshman season. He called Ka’ai - a near 4.0 student - a quick learner, and said both Mundt and Baylis are “tough guys.” He said Brown’s injury doesn’t put pressure on the youngsters to step up, it just gives them a chance to get better.

“When anybody is out, the other guys have to take more reps,’’ Osborne said. “I think it’s a great opportunity ... it’s a chance to get better.’’

But nobody is better than Lyerla, who last season led all Pac-12 tight ends in yards per catch (15.7).

“His speed, his burst of speed and strength - he’s so gifted out there,’’ Osborne said.

Gifted enough to probably follow in the footsteps of Oregon tight ends who have gone on to the NFL recently, joining David Paulson, Ed Dickson, Dante Rosario, George Wrighster, Justin Peele, Jed Weaver and Blake Spence.

But, as Osborne and Lyerla know, so far in training camp, Lyerla is not there yet.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress, but is he where he needs to be? No,’’ Osborne said. “But we have two weeks until we play.’’

That’s when Lyerla promises he will be ready, physically and mentally, to make good on his goal.

“Just more production overall,’’ Lyerla said. “That’s the biggest thing for me this season.’’

--Jason Quick