NFL Notes: Colt Lyerla, Browns, Giants, Patriots, & Vikings

Colt Lyerla

Former Oregon TE Colt Lyerla made a plea to NFL teams in a video to give him another opportunity.

“To the NFL teams out there, obviously there have been a lot of bad decisions made in the past,” Lyerla said, via OregonLive.com. “But the past is the past and it’s going to stay in the past.”

Lyerla has dealt with numerous off-the-field issues over the past few years, which led to him going undrafted last year.

“We’re moving forward, and like an old coach I used to have, Chip Kelly, used to say: win the day,” Lyerla said. “I think I have a long string of winning days, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep that process moving forward and make an NFL 2015 roster.”

The Packers eventually took a chance on him, but he unfortunately suffered a knee injury.

“With the injury, I had the option for surgery. I chose to let it naturally heal because I believe in my body,” he said. “I’ve always been able to naturally heal every injury I’ve ever had.”

Browns

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Browns’ interest in Oregon QB Marcus Mariota is “very real.” However, Cabot adds that they would only be interested at the right price.

According to Cabot, Cleveland is open to trading up to get Mariota, but she wonders if trading their No. 12 and No. 19 overall picks will be enough to get a deal done with the Titans.

Giants

• If Alabama WR Amari Cooper is available to the Giants at No. 9 overall, Dan Granziano expects them to draft him.
• Graziano can see the Giants grabbing a safety in either the second or third round and mentions Damarious Randall and Cedric Thompson as two players that are on their radar.
• Granziao strongly believes Eli Manning will play “at least” another five years and finish out his career with the Giants.

Patriots

• Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston writes that if USC WR Nelson Agholor is on the board at No. 32, he could be an “enticing” player for the Patriots.
• Reiss considers guard, defensive tackle, off-the-line linebacker and cornerback to be the Patriots’ top needs.

Vikings

• According to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, “all signs point to” the Vikings drafting MSU QB Trae Waynes in round one.