The Detroit Lions and The Eric Ebron Narrative
By Mike Payton
How Ebron Stacks up
Sep 14, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) makes a catch in the third quarter.
I’m certainly not saying that Eric Ebron is a success or will become one. But at the end of the day, he really is no different than your run of the mill rookie.
"For Every Odell Beckham, there are 13 Eric Ebrons"
What I’m saying there is more often than not, players struggle in their rookie year. Especially at a position like tight end. It’s commonly thought of as a developmental piece of the puzzle. Most will struggle in year one, then immediately begin to come on in year two. Here are the rookie year stats of every starting tight end in the NFL.
| Team | Player | Receptions | Receving Yards | Touchdowns |
| Lions | Eric Ebron | 25 | 248 | 1 |
| Falcons | Jacob Tamme | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| Ravens | Dennis Ptta | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bills | Charles Clay | 16 | 233 | 3 |
| Bengals | Tyler Eifert | 39 | 445 | 2 |
| Browns | Gary Barnridge | 12 | 242 | 0 |
| Broncos | Owen Daniels | 34 | 352 | 5 |
| Texans | CJ Fiedorowicz | 4 | 28 | 1 |
| Colts | Dwayne Allen | 45 | 521 | 3 |
| Jaguars | Julius Thomas | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Cheifs | Travis Kelce | 67 | 862 | 5 |
| Dolphins | Jordan Cameron | 6 | 33 | 0 |
| Patriots | Rob Gronkowski | 42 | 546 | 10 |
| Jets | Jeff Cumberland | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Raiders | Mychal Rivera | 38 | 407 | 4 |
| Steelers | Heath Miller | 39 | 459 | 6 |
| Chargers | Antonio Gates | 24 | 389 | 2 |
| Titans | Delanie Walker | 2 | 30 | 0 |
| Cardinals | Troy Niklas | 3 | 38 | 0 |
| Bears | Martellus Bennet | 20 | 283 | 2 |
| Cowboys | Jason Witten | 35 | 347 | 1 |
| Packers | Andrew Quarless | 21 | 238 | 1 |
| Vikings | Kyley Rudolph | 26 | 249 | 3 |
| Saints | Josh Hill | 6 | 44 | 1 |
| Giants | Larry Donnell | 3 | 31 | 0 |
| 49ers | Vernon Davis | 20 | 265 | 3 |
| Eagles | Zach Ertz | 36 | 469 | 4 |
| Seahawks | Jimmy Graham | 31 | 356 | 5 |
| Rams | Jarred Cook | 9 | 74 | 0 |
| Buccaneers | Seferian-Jenkins | 21 | 221 | 1 |
| Redskins | Jordan Reed | 45 | 499 | 3 |
As you can see, Ebron is pretty much in line with most tight ends in the NFL. This is not to say that he is as good or better than anyone on this list, it’s simply to say that one year isn’t it. You can’t have a delicious steak without having raw meat first, you have to prepare it.
Maybe your mind is made up already when it comes to Ebron. You’re going to dislike him no matter what. By all means I invite you to do that. But when you’re standing in front of the TV waiting for Ebron to make a mistake so you can say I told you so, you won’t be alone. There will likely be an article or a tweet right there to fuel your fire.
What do you think? Is Ebron a bust after one year? Or does the media want you to think that? Leave your comments below and be sure to follow us on Twitter @SideLionReport and @Lionmike26 for all your Lions news and original content.