Detroit Lions: One week later the T.J. Hockenson debate still rages on
By Robert Jones
It’s has been a week since the Detroit Lions used the eighth overall pick in the draft to select tight end T.J. Hockenson, but the aftermath hasn’t settled.
The dust has settled on the 2019 NFL Draft, but not for Detroit Lions fans. If anything the dust may have started to just fly.
The Lions used the eighth overall pick to select Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson then the media and fans alike exploded in a sea of controversy. The reason? Eric Ebron.
That’s right, When commissioner Roger Goodell called out Hockenson’s name, the only thing anyone could hear was Eric Ebron. Tight end is a position that seldom in history has warranted being called early in the draft and in the case of the Lions, it burned them and their fans badly in 2014.
With names like Aaron Donald, Odell Beckham, and Taylor Lewan all on the board and all at positions that the Lions could use, the name they inscribed on their card was Eric Ebron, tight end out of North Carolina.
The regime at that time, led by general manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand decided to give then head coach Jim Caldwell this athletic tight end out of North Carolina to help boost the passing game.
The downside was that Ebron was not a good blocker in college and was already known for having the dropsies. Then when he arrived in Detroit he showed off his immaturity and unwillingness to work as hard as he needed to become an elite player.
This led to negative fan backlash and despite the fact that Ebron claimed he didn’t pay attention to it, with every dropped pass that caused the Honolulu Blue and Silver faithful to react with displeasure, you could see how it affected Ebron.
By his final year in Detroit, he had made some strides and certainly was athletic enough to stretch the field and be a presence in the passing game, but the emotional wounds were beyond repair and he still had the odd drops on the field that were just unacceptable.
Instead, general manager Bob Quinn and newly hired head coach Matt Patricia decided Ebron should go.