Detroit Lions Seven Round 2014 Mock Draft: If I Were Martin Mayhew…

Oct 27, 2012; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels tight end Eric Ebron (85) with the ball as North Carolina State Wolfpack safety Earl Wolff (27) and safety Brandan Bishop (30) defend in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels defeated the Wolfpack 43-35 at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1

I’m basing this pick on the following players already being gone (not in any particular order): Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Greg Robinson, Sammy Watkins, Jake Matthews, Mike Evans, Taylor Lewan, Johnny Manziel, and Aaron Donald.  That leaves me with the following serious candidates at 10: Eric Ebron, Anthony Barr, Justin Gilbert, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, or Odell Beckham Jr.

Pick 10 Selection: TE Eric Ebron – North Carolina

If anyone has followed me throughout the offseason, they know the man crush I have on Eric Ebron. I understand the reservations that people have about Ebron. Some see him as a Brandon Pettigrew type player that has too many drops and lapses in concentration to make him an elite threat at the next level. After all, if the one thing you’re supposed to do is catch the ball and you can’t do it, that worries me.

But Ebron’s upside trumps his limitations in my book. I’m high on him because of the effect he’d have on the entire offense. Defenses would still have to account for him even if he drops a few passes. And unlike Pettigrew, Ebron’s athleticism makes him a threat to take it to the house anywhere on the field. In my mind the best Lion to compare Ebron to is Reggie Bush. Does he drop some easy catches? Yes. But he’s still a dynamic threat to the defense because of what he could do once he catches the ball. The Lions need as many moveable chess pieces as they can get.