Eric Ebron: Lions will use me like Saints use Jimmy Graham

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 9, 2014, 6:44 AM EDT
AP

New Lions tight end Eric Ebron thinks he’s going to be the new Jimmy Graham.

Asked how he thinks he’ll be used in Detroit, Ebron noted that Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi spent the last five years in New Orleans, five years in which Graham developed into the best receiving tight end in the NFL.

“The same way Jimmy Graham was [used] when [Lombardi] was coaching Jimmy Graham,” Ebron said.

Although the 6-foot-4 Ebron isn’t quite the matchup nightmare that the 6-foot-7 Graham is, Ebron is a dangerous receiver with the speed to catch deep balls and the strength to go over the middle.

“They are not exactly the same players but they are both very athletic guys,” Lombardi said of Ebron and Graham. “Jimmy has a little bit more length while Eric has a little more quickness. There are some things that we did with Jimmy in New Orleans that we will be able to do with Eric and maybe some things we can do with Eric that we didn’t do with Jimmy.”

If Ebron plays like Graham, Lions fans will be very happy.

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42 responses to “Eric Ebron: Lions will use me like Saints use Jimmy Graham”

  2. I liked Calvin Pryor and Taylor Lewan more, but Ebron running with Golden Tate and Calvin Johnson with Reggie Bush in the flats does create some tough matchups for any defense.

  3. Lions draft a receiver in Round 1.

    Shocker.

    ————————————————–

    Wake up! They have drafted linemen the last 4 years.

  4. Lions fans aren’t questioning Ebrons talent, we’re questioning the reasoning. If we were going to get a Tight End, why re-sign Pettigrew to 5M a year? I felt if we were going offense in the 1st round, it should’ve been all in for Sammy Watkins. A tight end is a luxury pick, and i just felt we have more pressing needs, such as S, OLB, and CB. I’m not upset that we drafted Eric Ebron, i’m upset we drafted a Tight End in the first round.

  5. The Ebron hype is unfounded. He is not as big or fast as Kelvin Benjamin, who is listed as a WR. His success came as a slot receiver last year who was too big for tiny DBs.

    He is nowhere near as fast as Vernon Davis or as big as Graham. He’s a slow WR or a small TE. Nothing special. Not a 1st round pick. The kid from Washington is massive and gets down field. He is the best TE in the draft.

  6. Didn’t get this pick. They already have a pretty good TE. Could’ve gotten someone else,but winning 47-46 is still a win…or losing 46-47.

  9. Given the Lions’ decision to draft Ebron, the greater concern is whether or not they can use Matthew Stafford like the Saints use Drew Brees.

  11. We’ll see how they use him. You can’t predict that the guy you like/want will be there, and Pettigrew was the best option at TE in free agency. It’s not like they resigned him on the first day to a huge deal, they got a fair deal, and if Ebron was their #2 offensive player over Evans then pull the trigger.

  12. Great pick! Defenses will have nightmares trying to figure out who to cover! Stafford throws for 5500.00 yards! You heard it here first!

  13. Weird pick. Pettigrew and also Fauria are already there. This isn’t baseball where everyone gets 4 or 5 at bats per game. There’s only one ball that must be shared and that’s a ton of money invested in the passing game.

  14. I was hoping Evans fell to us, however, Ebron fits the bill. Keeping Pettigrew for 2 yrs adds a veteran eliment to the position. This kids ceiling is high, so in 2 years if he pans out we can get rid of Pettigrew or possibly have some trade value for him.

    Also I understand we have defensive needs, but we do have a stable of young cbs andAustin may have the ability to get more out of them. We were 23 against the pass last year but we also had our share of injuries too. We weren’t 23 the year before.

  15. So, let’s say we’re the #1 offense in the NFC…if Stafford can get the ball to people and these guys can hold on. Can we do it against the best defenses? Broncos couldn’t. I don’t mind having a potent scary offense, but the coaching on that side of the ball this year had better be dramatically improved.

  16. The Lions must think that defense is just a fad. Why draft a TE after paying Pettigrew all that money, while all the safeties and most of the corners were still there? Their offense was not the problem. Glaring holes on defense…draft a TE, Lions logic.

  17. The Saints use Graham the way they do because they don’t have a Calvin Johnson. There’s no room on the Lions for a Graham type TE.

  18. I was surprised at this pick at first but the more I think about it the more I lkie it. I’m tired of watching Pettigrew play hot potato with the ball, and if he cathes it, he holds it like a loaf of bread.

  19. I am one of the few that like this pick. Pettigrew can’t seem to hang on to the ball and I like Fauria, but it was a few touchdowns in a few games. Is he going to he to get better or worse? Also, think of Fauria and Ebron lined up with Calvin and Tate and bush in the back field? I like that line up.

  20. People keep saying why do this after resigning Pettigrew. Well, because he was the top pick left on their board. Like it or not, that is how Mayhew drafts. Also, Pettigrew is only guaranteed one season @ $4M, after that they can cut ties with him. Also, they are not Nostradamus, they couldn’t have known they were going to get Ebron when they signed Pettigrew. They signed Pettigrew because he was a need at the time. The now drafted Ebron because he’s better than Pettigrew. The guys they wanted more were gone so they took the next guy up on their board.

    Pretty simple logic when you think about it. Now, they could have waited more than 3 seconds to make the pick, but it doesn’t make it a bad pick in any way.

  22. Look at the two drafted before him…Gilbert and Barr. I think of one of those two guys was there they might have went in that direction.

    Who knows though. All I know is if they draft a WR with their second round pick I am jumping off of my roof.

  23. I really expected them to go DB…but maybe their top rated guy(s) were already gone. Ebron will be a great player in this league and is an improvement at TE for the Lions.

  24. LOL…yeah Lions, thats your problem, you need to score more points.

  25. Our offense inside the opponents 30 yard line was maddening last year. Our defense was actually decent, but put in a lot of bad situations due to an inept offense.

  26. There is no problem with the Lions scoring but stopping people is the biggest concern, should have went defense you already have TWO good TE’s!

  27. This will be the reincarnation of a former Packers team that can score 40 per game but give up 43 per game.

    They have 2 pretty decent TEs in town already, and a defense that is regressing.

    Classic is Lions.

  28. As a Packers can, I admire what the Loins have been doing. Less so for the Vikings.

  30. I thought they already had two okay TEs, including one with fancy dance moves? I just don’t get 1st round TE picks, particularly with the good defenders still on the board.

  32. Ummm….listen shorty, you’re about 6 inches shorter than Jimmy Graham and you don’t have an accurate passer like Brees throwing you the ball.

    Just get your fat butt in shape so you can handle the 2 minute drill when you’re coming from behind late in the game when that sad defense lets the other team back in the door.

  34. Doesnt block. drop % is high, doesnt score a lot of TDs and seems to talk a lot…was he really the BPA at 11? Hard to believe.

  36. I think this guy is a really overrated prospect and will be nothing more than a Jermaine Gresham type with more speed

  37. I’ve said this before the draft as well, but this kid had the biggest diva-type ego of the entire class. I always thought it was buyer-beware with him.

  38. Ebron is talking the talk. He better be able to walk the walk. I hate these kids who compare themselves to superstars before they’ve even played a down. The kid needs a reality check. This isn’t college anymore, it’s the NFL.

    Pettigrew is more of a blocker. I’ll give him credit for working to improve his receiving skills, but we’ve all seen him drop passes – sometimes heartbreakers.

    Drafting Ebron puts Fauria’s job in danger. I think the saving grace for Fauria will be that (as a walk on) he’s probably got a low salary. I can see the Lions getting interest for Fauria and trading him.

  39. In the last 6 losses last season, the Lions could barely score over 20 points. So, they need help for sure. The opposing team scored an average of 27 points.

  41. The headline should be: This pick is ONLY good if he becomes the next Jimmy Graham.

    Drafting a TE in the first round, much less 10th overall, is a luxury pick.

    I don’t see a team with one playoff game in the past decade plus being in a position to have luxury picks.

  42. The kid is a flatout beast! Id be happy if I was a detroit fan because lemme tell ya, as a hawks fan, golden tate is not the guy thats gonna take your offense to the next level! Pettigrew is unreliable thougj a good blocker. No more triple teaming Megatron, although it rarely matters, but you guys are gonna be a very potent offense! Plus, you finally got rid of that bum of a head coach and brought some professionalism and discipline to detroit which is exactly what you needed. I see you guys taking over the nfc north. Could still use a good corner though. D-line is tremendous, lbs are solid.

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