It had appeared that the Detroit Lions had enough offensive weapons for Matthew Stafford. There were many who thought Mike Evans would be the right pick with the No. 10 pick but he was gone by the seventh pick. Detroit instead decided to go with North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron with their selection which is a bit of a surprise. Many experts didn’t see the Lions making the move for a tight end with the talent at the position already on their roster.
I have brought up before that I thought Ebron wasn’t a top-ten pick. The Lions felt differently about Ebron’s potential and he does have the ability to open the field up for Detroit. It will be something for fans to watch for to see how much Ebron gets involved in the offense. Obviously, the Lions have Calvin Johnson and have added Golden Tate. Fellow tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria have shown talent and will still be involved in some capacity but when a team takes a tight end in the first round, he is going to play from week one.
The Lions are going to be a team to watch in 2014. They definitely declined in the second half of the 2013 season. Will Ebron be the answer to keep the offense going during those late months of the season? Jim Caldwell and the Lions believe so and by not taking a defensive player, Detroit will continue to look to outscore teams instead of stopping them.
If Ebron does start from day one, he may be someone who has 50-60 catches this upcoming season. He is a talented player but probably one that could have been had a few picks later if the Lions would have decided to trade down. They couldn’t have a way to move up for Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans so Ebron was a suitable option for the Lions to have without moving. It’s only a matter of time before it is discovered whether or not Ebron was the right choice with that pick but for right now, it looks like Detroit has upgraded their already high-octane offense with a tight end that is more like a wide receiver.