The Lions made Eric Ebron the first tight end picked in the 2014 draft with designs on having him catching passes in the middle of fields cleared out by defenses focused on Calvin Johnson.
Those plans took a little bit of a hit in Ebron’s early practices as he experienced some problems holding onto the ball while simultaneously working to learn a new offense. Ebron caught a long touchdown pass in a weekend scrimmage, though, and said that it was the first moment where he realized he was just playing the game instead of thinking about what he was supposed to be doing. That epiphany left Ebron feeling like he’s turned a corner.
“I’ve already hit my rookie wall,” Ebron said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I felt like that last week of the learning process and getting over the curve, that was it for me. Now it’s about staying true to who I am and doing everything that got me here, and better.”
Coach Jim Caldwell says Ebron is learning what amounts to four different positions and “getting better all the time.” Whether or not that helps him avoid the more traditional rookie wall in December remains to be seen, but Detroit wants him to be an integral part of their offense this year and it sounds like he’s getting closer to making that a reality.