The Detroit Lions top 7 ‘buyer remorse’ first-round draft choices

Buyer Remorse draft pick #7 – Eric Ebron

The seventh biggest first-round ‘buyers regret’ draft choice of the Detroit Lions is Eric Ebron in 2014. This one is very obvious to younger fans and many might claim it’s the worst, but I can assure you there are other mistakes this franchise has made that top this one.

We all know the scenario, all-pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was going to be a free agent and despite then general manager Martin Mayhew‘s assurances, there were many in the media and fans alike that were concerned about the ability of the Lions to pay Suh what he was asking for.

Let’s be honest, he wanted a king’s ransom which would have only strangled the Lions already tight salary cap even more. However, on May 8th, 2014 when Detroit was on the clock with the 10th overall pick, University of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald was still available and a perfect fit for the Lions situation.

Instead, as we know, Martin Mayhew selected Eric Ebron to give Jim Caldwell a versatile weapon to use from the tight end position. He was expected to be a difference-maker. Instead, Ebron was immature and had difficulty learning the Lions playbook and never became an adequate blocker.

This is to say nothing of the fact that he couldn’t overcome the ‘dropsies’. Despite being a player who did truly have talent, he was eventually let go and has since become a productive member of the Indianapolis Colts.

Meanwhile, Aaron Donald has become an unstoppable force for the Los Angeles Rams who seems to be on an unerring course to the Hall of Fame. What could have been an incredible defensive tackle combination with Suh and Donald or the perfect replacement for Suh considering how things actually turned out is now nothing more than a beautiful dream for long-suffering Lions fans.