GREEN BAY, Wis. – The lights were off in the Green Bay Packers overflow locker room. A few undrafted free-agent players were near their lockers talking quietly. A short distance away, Colt Lyerla sat by himself in the darkness.

Sporting a white Packers T-shirt and yellow Packers warmup shorts, Lyerla was unwinding after his second day of competing in training camp.

He was alone with his thoughts. The darkness was eerily symbolic of his roller-coaster journey the past nine-plus months. The Hillsboro native and former Oregon Ducks tight end didn't take a traditional route to earning an NFL tryout.

Lyerla had a shaky two-plus seasons in Eugene, leaving the football team for personal reasons on Oct. 6, 2013. Just two and a half weeks later, Lyerla was arrested on allegations of cocaine possession and interfering with a police officer. He later pled guilty. Earlier in his college career, Lyerla went to Twitter to support conspiracy theories involving the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Lyerla's life had gradually spun out of control.

Now 2,000 miles from home and on his own, Lyerla has a fresh start; it's a much-needed chance to move forward.

"Just being able to stay positive and be able to do positive things, this is definitely the biggest step I can take with that," said a soft-spoken Lyerla, hunched over in his locker stall.

The 21-year-old said moving forward from what happened in the past is something he's working on.

"I'm still in part of that process today even though I'm in the latter half," Lyerla said. "I feel like I've made big strides and was able to put myself in a good environment, and that's where I'm at today."

The Packers took a chance on Lyerla, who didn't get selected in May's NFL draft. He posted strong numbers at the NFL combine, running a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash and a tight end-best 39-inch vertical, but teams shied away. Lyerla was invited to Green Bay one week after the draft to compete in its two-day rookie orientation camp. He showed the Packers' brass enough positive signs to ink him to a contact May 19.

For an organization that doesn't take many risks on players with sketchy backgrounds, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy thinks it was a great move.

"I'm excited about having Colt here," said McCarthy after an organized team activities practice in May. "You look at our history here, this will be our ninth season as far as the program we've established, everybody is excited about helping a young man that's been through what he's been through. ... We're excited to impact this young man's life because everything else will take care of itself professionally."

In a locker room filled with veterans, Lyerla feels like he already belongs. His teammates have made him feel more than welcome.

"One thing about this locker room is that everyone's really close," Lyerla said. "It's been fun to be able to get to know everybody and get included in that camaraderie. I'm enjoying it so far."

Most players in the Packers' locker room weren't aware of Lyerla's background when he came to town. Fellow tight end Ryan Taylor, a four-year veteran with the team, said guys start to open up about themselves a little bit the more time they spend with teammates.

"He hadn't offered up much about his past, and I'm not one to dig about it," Taylor said. "I've heard things here and there, but it's not something that I really focus on. You get here and it's a new opportunity for you."

"He does have that red flag," said ninth-year Packers cornerback Jarrett Bush, "but guys are given second chances and I think that's pretty cool. Everybody's going to make mistakes. It's all about how you learn from that mistake. I'm pretty sure he's going to do everything he needs to do to get back on track and make sure he's helping this team out. I'm 100 percent confident in him that he'll do that. It's up to him at the same time and he's got to see and wait and be patient. I definitely think he'll be a star in this league."

Second-year wide receiver Myles White made sure he reached out to Lyerla when he first came to the Packers. White had off-field issues while at Michigan State and was dismissed from the football team. He later landed at Louisiana Tech and turned around his life.

"I just wanted to let him know that no one's going to bring that up here," White said. "It's like, 'As long as you handle your business and be a smart guy and be good on and off the field, it's in the past.'"

Trying to make the team

After competing in organized team activities and minicamp in early to mid-June, Lyerla stayed in Green Bay nearly six weeks before training camp got started. He tried to get acclimated to the city, traveled around the state, sampled some of the food that Wisconsin is known for and spent plenty of time fishing.

"That's kind of how I get away from things," said Lyerla about fishing. "It's kind of a stress reliever for me."

Playing football is also a stress reliever for Lyerla. A natural athlete at 6-foot-4, 247 pounds, Lyerla was a valuable weapon during his 28 games at Oregon. He amassed 34 receptions for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns. The big target was a nightmare to cover for opposing defenses.

Lyerla has impressed his Packers teammates early on with his athletic ability. Taylor noticed that Lyerla needed to knock off some rust early on in practice and get into the flow of the NFL game.

"He's probably the fastest tight end we have," Bush said. "I've done one-on-ones with pretty much all the tight ends, and when I go against Colt I know that he can run the go (route)."

On the first day of training camp July 26, Lyerla had a tough drop on a nicely thrown ball by backup quarterback Matt Flynn. Lyerla knows he needs to make some plays during practice and stand out as much as he can to the coaching staff.

"I talked to him (after the first training camp practice)," White said, "and I was just like, 'Man, just slow the game down and just relax. It's all going to come, you're young. Don't put so much stress on yourself.'"

There's an open competition at tight end in training camp for the Packers since last year's starter, Jermichael Finley, wasn't re-signed after a neck injury sidelined him for the final 10 games of the regular season.

Lyerla is one of seven tight ends battling for a roster spot. Last season, the Packers carried four tight ends on the 53-man roster. Veterans Andrew Quarless and Taylor should be locks to make the team and Brandon Bostick, who is in his second season, should also earn a spot. The Packers used a third-round pick in May's draft to select California tight end Richard Rodgers and second-year guy Jake Stoneburner saw playing time last year after being on the practice squad the majority of the season.

Lyerla is still trying to figure out what his role can be with the Packers. He knows the tight end position is competitive and it could come down to special teams play in order to make the team. Lyerla played on special teams his first two season at Oregon and tallied 11 tackles.

"I guess that just depends on the next few weeks, but I'm confident in my abilities," Lyerla said. "In the NFL, it's a numbers game. It depends on how many tight ends they need or want, so some of it isn't up to me. But a lot of it is, so all I can do is play to the best of my ability and work as hard as I can."

Lyerla is working hard and his teammates have his back as he tries to make an NFL roster. Everything seems to be turning around for Lyerla and going well these days.

"God has a funny way of working things out," White said. "He'll knock you down and make sure you build it up right.

"I'm pulling for Colt."

-- Greg Bates, Special to The Oregonian