With the NFL Draft getting underway on Thursday night, there is a lot of talk about which players will go highest in the draft. There is one player in particular that looks like he could be a clone of a very successful tight end right now in the league. North Carolina’s Eric Ebron is looking like a lot like the Saints’ Jimmy Graham but is he worth taking in the top ten of this year’s draft?
Ebron is 6-4 and 250 pounds and will cause many problems for defenders this coming season no matter who takes him. He had 62 catches for 973 yards this past season to go with three touchdowns. The many mock drafts out there have Ebron going as high as No. 9 to the Buffalo Bills. My own mock draft has Ebron going No. 18 to the New York Jets. This is where a major discussion begins however with the idea of taking a tight end with a top ten pick. Here is Ebron in action last season.
Just like with Graham, Ebron can easily split out and become a wide receiver. He will likely be a player who is more of a pass catcher than blocking tight end which is fine as long as he is in the right scenario. There are many people who also believe that Ebron is someone who is full of himself and that it will rub people the wrong way. If a player is going to be that way, they had better be able to show it on the field and produce in a big way. Ebron may not be able to do that at least right off the bat so keeping it down could be key to his success.
Ebron is likely going to go somewhere in the range of the 15-20th pick instead of the top ten which will likely suit him better anyway. The pressure probably won’t be as intense from the middle of the round as the top of the first round. Ebron looks like he is going to be one of the next great receiving tight ends that make his own team and fantasy teams everywhere very happy in the years to come. However, he still isn’t someone that should be taken with one of the top ten picks in this year’s NFL Draft.
Nope…Can’t block, which doesn’t translate well to the NFL, and raw. Maybe first round material but not to team that needs a starting TE or expects immediate results.