Tight end — Colt Lyerla, Christian French, Evan Baylis
With three-year starter David Paulson graduated, sophomore Colt Lyerla is in line to take over at a position that’s been as important as any for the Ducks offensively. One of the greatest true athletes of any player on the current Oregon roster, he will be leaned on for more consistency in his second season. Having caught five of his seven receptions for touchdowns last season, he proved to be a quality target in the red zone and will certainly be someone Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota look to early in the year.
Redshirt freshman Christian French and true freshman Evan Baylis should compete for the second tight end position, which Oregon used extensively late in the 2011 season. Neither player showed much in the Spring Game in April, though French (6’5″, 231 lbs.) and Baylis (6’6″, 232 lbs.) both have adequate size to contribute to blocking in the run game right away.