Detroit Lions select Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft

Eric Ebron, North Carolina (Grant Halverson/Getty Images) The Detroit Lions are always looking for new targets, acquiring former Seattle Seahawks receiver

Doug Farrar | May 8, 2014

Detroit Lions select Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft /

Eric Ebron, North Carolina (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

The Detroit Lions are always looking for new targets, acquiring former Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate in free agency as a hopeful complementary target to Calvin Johnson. And now, they've added to those ranks with the pick of North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

The new wave of TE production around the league has left teams searching high and low for players who can produce like Ebron. We’re talking about the top talent at this position, with plenty of room to grow. With average speed, Ebron would be a viable NFL prospect because of his size; with 4.6 speed and the post-catch abilities he put on display at North Carolina, he gives off the appearance of a future Pro Bowler.

Strengths: Speed really sets him apart as compared to other tight ends in the 2014 class. Can turn upfield after short-to-intermediate routes but is most dangerous darting into the seam. Even talented slot corners and adept safeties will find it tough to turn and run with him; linebackers can be left in his wake. Improving blocker with a decent amount of experience playing in-line. Better suited to get out into the slot and create mismatches. Can be far more of a red-zone threat than he was in college. Confidence bordering on cockiness, a positive when he can reel it in.

Weaknesses: Dropped nearly 12 percent of the passes thrown his way, an unexpectedly high number that means he’ll leave folks frustrated from time to time. By his own admission, must improve as a run blocker, especially if the team that drafts him wants to use him as a No. 1 tight end. Should be better than he is making grabs in traffic, which could help explain to some extent his very low TD total. Will he be OK with playing a complementary role?

Grade: B.

This is a bit high for Ebron, but it shows that the Lions are committed to their passing game, and that they understand the limitations Brandon Pettigrew brings to the offense. The Lions pass more than any other team in the league, and Ebron will certainly get his chances.

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Published May 8, 2014

DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009, Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.