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TE Eric Ebron, PIT (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter The Fantasy Chef
- Start date
Shutout
Footballguy
I actually think, in dynasty, the shark move is to buy Ebron somewhere around week 10 or so into the '14 season.
At that time of the year, you are finding two situations. You may be approaching a guy in the playoff race that is looking for a final piece to his season so you might get away with trading off an aging vet.
The other situation is you are approaching a guy that is already out of it and those guys love to think about future draft picks at this point of the season (what else do they have to think about?).
If you wait until the offseason, then you lose leverage because there are those guys out there who think, like a lot of people do about many players at various positions, "I have kept him this long, no harm riding it out" or "We all KNEW it would take a year before a Te made an impact (with Graham being the obvious player to compare).
I think you almost always find your best deals in that last 3rd of the season. Just seems like that is when other owners are more likely to change something up, while the thoughts of going for it or a disappointing season are freshest in their minds.
EBF
Footballguy
One thing we know is that rookie TEs rarely make any kind of significant impact, so from that standpoint it's pretty likely that any WR/RB who show flashes of talent will leapfrog him temporarily next season, as has happened with Eifert and some of the RB/WR this year. OTOH I think a smart owner will be aware of this and resist the temptation to cave, so there's not necessarily any guarantee that you can leave him out there and buy him cheaper a year later.
Faust
MVP
Polian: Steelers should steer clear of Ebron
By Scott Brown
By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH -- Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay will critique draft picks that are made in less than a week. The ESPN analysts took their own respective turns in the hot seat Thursday night on ESPN2.
The two engaged in a head-to-head, three-round mock draftwith Kiper picking for teams with even-numbered draft picks and McShay picking for those with odd-numbered picks. Their selections were followed by analysis from former NFL general manager Bill Polian and former NFL director of pro personnel Louis Riddick.
And Polian didn't opt for subtlety after McShay picked North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron for the Steelers at No. 15 overall.
"He's a Pittsburgh Steeler and he doesn't block. That doesn't compute," Polian, a six-time NFL Executive of the Year, said of Ebron. "I don't think he's ready to play in the NFL right now. I think he's too immature. I don't think his feet are firmly planted on the ground. Yeah, he has ability but that only gets you so far."
Ebron may be one of the more polarizing players in the draft.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is the best tight end in the draft and an undeniable talent. Ebron, who caught 62 passes for 973 yards in his final season at North Carolina, has the size and athleticism to create mismatches.
And he is part of the new wave of tight ends who have become such a commodity because of their ability to put stress on opposing defenses.
Ebron would give quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a tall target, and he would add a pass-catcher to a group that doesn't have a reliable one after veteran Heath Miller.
But as a blocker he can most diplomatically be described as a work in progress.
Or, as McShay said recently, “He’s a buffet blocker if you will. He kind of picks and chooses when he wants to get interested. But what he does well it’s just hard to find guys that can do it at the level that he does as far as stretching the field vertically and creating after the catch.”
Ebron may be too much of a gamble for the Steelers to pick at No. 15, especially since they have more pressing needs. McShay picked him for the Steelers with Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard off the board though with every other cornerback still available.
Riddick said he would have taken a cornerback for the Steelers, and he is especially high on Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller. Polian added of Ebron, "I would not risk this guy in a Pittsburgh offense that requires you to block."
As for the Steelers' other two picks, Kiper took LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry for them in the second round (No. 46 overall). McShay picked Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland for the Steelers in the third round (No. 97 overall).
Faust
MVP
Warpig
Footballguy
Question:
I assume Ebron is rated by most as the best TE in this class. But does he have legit skills for the next level?
So what if he is the best in this class. What if it is a weak class? Is he really worth drafting in the 1st round in the NFL AND Fantasy drafts?
Are the odds greater that he will be a mediocre TE or a stud TE for years when all is said and done?
I guess I'm just not seeing why there is so much hype for him.
(Disclaimer - I don't think I've seen a single game of his)
I assume Ebron is rated by most as the best TE in this class. But does he have legit skills for the next level?
So what if he is the best in this class. What if it is a weak class? Is he really worth drafting in the 1st round in the NFL AND Fantasy drafts?
Are the odds greater that he will be a mediocre TE or a stud TE for years when all is said and done?
I guess I'm just not seeing why there is so much hype for him.
(Disclaimer - I don't think I've seen a single game of his)
Touchdown There
Footballguy
There is a good chance he falls to day 2
cstu
Footballguy
If I told you there was a 6-4, 250 lb. wide receiver in this draft who runs a 4.53 40 would you think there should be hype for him?
thriftyrocker
Footballguy
Actually it's a pretty good TE class considering Amaro and ASJ could also easily be TE1s and you've got a wildcard in Lyerla who could be as good as any of them. Ebron doesn't jump out as a can't miss guy but he's not appreciably worse than Eifert/Ertz and a better prospect than Fleener/Allen/Rudolph/etc. I'd probably take Eifert over him all things equal, but if Ebron gets a good landing spot that can change. If he lands in a plus situation like Atlanta (not that it will happen) he could excel.
This seems like Eifert part deux though. They just re-upped Pettigrew for 4 years. Not sure I don't prefer him being the only game in town for Buffalo and being the safety valve for a QB that needs one. Although will EJ even be the QB next year when it matters, who knows.Faust said:
Mystery Achiever
Footballguy
Already making the most of his time in New York. 
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/05/nfl_draft_2014_potential_giants_jets_pick_eric_ebron_proposes_to_girlfriend_on_empire_state_building.html
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/05/nfl_draft_2014_potential_giants_jets_pick_eric_ebron_proposes_to_girlfriend_on_empire_state_building.html
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Dude settled for an UDFA.Already making the most of his time in New York.
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/05/nfl_draft_2014_potential_giants_jets_pick_eric_ebron_proposes_to_girlfriend_on_empire_state_building.html
Oh, well, we can't all be Blake Bortles.
matuski
Footballguy
bonesman
Footballguy
cstu
Footballguy
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I think Ebron has Graham-likr potential. He's not a blocker, but he's a very good receiver. He's too fast for 99% of LBers and too big for 99% of Safeties. He has great body control and uses his body well. He wins jumpballs a LOT. He can fly up that seam route and destroy a defense. He's a huge red zone threat. His negatives are that he drops some passes and he is not really interested in blocking.
Out of the guys likely to be there when Buffalo drafts, Ebron is the guy I would most like them to end up with.
identikit
Footballguy
Tackling Dummies
Footballguy
Good, pass heavy offense and will never see anything close to bracket coverage.
TwinTurbo
Footballguy
Good for him. Not for the Lions. Dude drops more passes than Pettigrew which is almost impossible.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Faust
MVP
Faust
MVP
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
TheFanatic
Footballguy
Very good - The Lions have CJ drawing triple coverage which means that he will see a TON of LB coverage. That's a tasty mismatch. The team is pass HEAVY. Look for another 5K out of Stafford.
Also good is that the Lions didn't address the secondary with that pick. Which means they are likely to leak like a sieve again when trying to stop other teams. That means more passing and more scoring to keep up. Pettigrew just became a blocker in this scheme. An expensive blocker...
Biabreakable
Footballguy
As a Viking fan Ebron in Detroit is a bit of a nighmare.
I think it makes sense as they were having Calvin go over the middle a bit too much I think. Now Ebron can fill that role more. Pettigrew will do what he does best and block.
It is going to be very difficult to defend and the NFC North is poorly equiped to deal with him and Calvin. So picking their poision I think Ebron will be single covered a lot.
I think it makes sense as they were having Calvin go over the middle a bit too much I think. Now Ebron can fill that role more. Pettigrew will do what he does best and block.
It is going to be very difficult to defend and the NFC North is poorly equiped to deal with him and Calvin. So picking their poision I think Ebron will be single covered a lot.
Faust
MVP
Todd McShay says Detroit Lions did well with Eric Ebron: 'I really like the pick, to be honest'By Dave Birkett
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
The Detroit Lions got him a new coach and offensive coordinator, spent big on a receiver in free agency and used their first draft pick on a tight end. Now it’s up to Matthew Stafford.
After working the bulk of the off-season to surround Stafford with everything that he needs to get the most out of his considerable talents, the Lions are counting on big things from their quarterback this fall.
ESPN analystTodd McShay said in a teleconference today that he likes the Lions’ first-round pick of tight end Eric Ebron for just that reason.
“Matthew Stafford has got weapons now,” McShay said. “He’s got another guy that can stretch (the field), another guy that you got to worry about, and I really like the pick, to be honest.
“I thought they were going to be reaching at other positions
The Lions have worked hard to surround Stafford with a multitude of weapons since they made him the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
They took tight end Brandon Pettigrew in the first round the same year, then traded up to take Jahvid Best late in the first round of the 2010 draft. A year later, they spent second-round picks on receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure. And in 2012, they took left tackle Riley Reiff in the first round and receiver Ryan Boyles in the second.
Pettigrew and Reiff are the only remaining starters of that group, while Best and Young are out of football. Leshoure and Broyles are backups with uncertain futures
Ebron, the draft’s consensus best tight end, will play a significant role this fall and should help
McShay said he likes the pick overall, but he warned that there are some negatives to Ebron’s game.
“You can expect that he’s not going to block,” McShay said. “He’ll be decent, at best, probably as a space blocker — you’re not going to use him endline, but that’s not why you drafted him. You drafted him to be a playmaker. I think what separated him from everyone in this draft class was the fact that he can provide vertical and after the catch. He’s a seam stretcher. He will drop a few too many passes, but he makes a lot of tough catches, too.”
Faust
MVP
WisWolvrns
Footballguy
Stafford has to start throwing to players not named Calvin Johnson though... As he doesn't care if Johnson is double covered, triple covered or whatever, he just throws the ball way too much to CJ.
Tie in the dump offs to the RBs... I'm not as high as most with Ebron landing in Det.
Not sure what proposing to someone the day of the NFL draft means either. I hadn't heard of a player doing that before. Most seem focused in on the NFL and their hopes for their prospective future that day. So I really can't put my finger on it, but it seems something like a mental intangible negative in my view. Or I'm so far removed from romance I'm officially an old geezer... lol
Tie in the dump offs to the RBs... I'm not as high as most with Ebron landing in Det.
Not sure what proposing to someone the day of the NFL draft means either. I hadn't heard of a player doing that before. Most seem focused in on the NFL and their hopes for their prospective future that day. So I really can't put my finger on it, but it seems something like a mental intangible negative in my view. Or I'm so far removed from romance I'm officially an old geezer... lol
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Target data for the Lions over the last 3 seasons-
2013
Calvin 155 targets
Durham 85 targets
Burleson 55 targets
Ogletree 25 targets
Broyles 14 targets
Edwards 11 targets
Ross 10 targets
355 total WR targets
Pettigrew 63 targets
Fauria 30 targets
Scheffler 12 targets
Dickerson 5 targets
110 total TE targets
Bush 80 targets
Bell 68 targets
Riddick 8 targets
156 total RB targets
621 total targets
2012
Calvin 204 targets
Burleson 43 targets
Titus Young 56 targets
Broyles 32 targets
Durham 21 targets
Thomas 13 targets
Robiskie 6 targets
375 total WR targets
Pettigrew 102 targets
Scheffler 85 targets
Heller 23 targets
210 total TE targets
Best 69 targets
Leshoure 48 targets
Smith 16 targets
Others 9 targets
144 total RB targets
729 total targets
2011
Calvin 160 targets
Burleson 111 targets
Titus Young 86 targets
Davis/Stovall 9 targets
366 total WR targets
Pettigrew 125 targets
Scheffler 40 targets
Heller 12 targets
177 total TE targets
Best 40 targets
Morris 35 targets
Smith 29 targets
Others 12 targets
116 total RB targets
659 total targets
Over the past 3 season the Lions have averaged 670 targets.
365 WR targets
165 TE targets
139 RB targets
TE targets fell to 110 in 2013 after being 210 and 177 the previous 2 seasons.
What I think happened in part last season is that Detroit was starting rookies on their offensive line so Pettigrew was asked to stay in to block more. Also Pettigrew is not the best option as a receiver so having him block is a good thing anyways. The addition of Bell and Bush led to the highest targets to RB as part of that shift and also Scheffler not being healthy.
Meanwhile in NO the Saints have been disributing their targets like this-
2013
257 WR targets
181 TE targets
203 RB targets
2012
309 WR targets
153 TE targets
194 RB targets
2011
295 WR targets
163 TE targets
194 RB targets
So if you expect the RB targets for Bush/Bell to go up in the new offense that could be some reason to limit the TE target opportunity. However the WR targets have been lower than Detroits have so maybe there will be less targets to WR besides Calvin than before.
I can see Ebron dipping into both the TE and WR target pools and think he could get 100 targets as a rookie in this offense.
Graham had 44 targets as a rookie. He shared time with Shockey and Daniel Thomas that season. Then 148, 135 and 141 his next 3 seasons.
2013
Calvin 155 targets
Durham 85 targets
Burleson 55 targets
Ogletree 25 targets
Broyles 14 targets
Edwards 11 targets
Ross 10 targets
355 total WR targets
Pettigrew 63 targets
Fauria 30 targets
Scheffler 12 targets
Dickerson 5 targets
110 total TE targets
Bush 80 targets
Bell 68 targets
Riddick 8 targets
156 total RB targets
621 total targets
2012
Calvin 204 targets
Burleson 43 targets
Titus Young 56 targets
Broyles 32 targets
Durham 21 targets
Thomas 13 targets
Robiskie 6 targets
375 total WR targets
Pettigrew 102 targets
Scheffler 85 targets
Heller 23 targets
210 total TE targets
Best 69 targets
Leshoure 48 targets
Smith 16 targets
Others 9 targets
144 total RB targets
729 total targets
2011
Calvin 160 targets
Burleson 111 targets
Titus Young 86 targets
Davis/Stovall 9 targets
366 total WR targets
Pettigrew 125 targets
Scheffler 40 targets
Heller 12 targets
177 total TE targets
Best 40 targets
Morris 35 targets
Smith 29 targets
Others 12 targets
116 total RB targets
659 total targets
Over the past 3 season the Lions have averaged 670 targets.
365 WR targets
165 TE targets
139 RB targets
TE targets fell to 110 in 2013 after being 210 and 177 the previous 2 seasons.
What I think happened in part last season is that Detroit was starting rookies on their offensive line so Pettigrew was asked to stay in to block more. Also Pettigrew is not the best option as a receiver so having him block is a good thing anyways. The addition of Bell and Bush led to the highest targets to RB as part of that shift and also Scheffler not being healthy.
Meanwhile in NO the Saints have been disributing their targets like this-
2013
257 WR targets
181 TE targets
203 RB targets
2012
309 WR targets
153 TE targets
194 RB targets
2011
295 WR targets
163 TE targets
194 RB targets
So if you expect the RB targets for Bush/Bell to go up in the new offense that could be some reason to limit the TE target opportunity. However the WR targets have been lower than Detroits have so maybe there will be less targets to WR besides Calvin than before.
I can see Ebron dipping into both the TE and WR target pools and think he could get 100 targets as a rookie in this offense.
Graham had 44 targets as a rookie. He shared time with Shockey and Daniel Thomas that season. Then 148, 135 and 141 his next 3 seasons.
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ghostguy123
Footballguy
WisWolvrns
Footballguy
True, but is that the case or is it that Stafford just trusts CJ the most so forces the ball his way because of it? I am curious how Ebron will turn out there, but can not say I was happy with him being drafted by Detroit.
Nice numbers pull Biabreakable, as I could be having tunnel vision of '13 passing, as '12/'11 do show more TE distributions.
Nice numbers pull Biabreakable, as I could be having tunnel vision of '13 passing, as '12/'11 do show more TE distributions.
Craig_MiamiFL
Footballguy
I wouldnt say he's had trouble throwing to Pettigrew over the years. I think Detroit is about as good a landing spot as you could hope for.
Edit: Just noticed Biabreakable posted above the target #s.
Edit: Just noticed Biabreakable posted above the target #s.
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matuski
Footballguy
If he catches the passes, Ebron will earn Stafford's trust.
eta - I hope he practices catching bullets from 7-9 yards out...
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ghostguy123
Footballguy
So TE premium guys, FFPC and whoever else..............................how high you taking Ebron in the rookie drafts coming up?
At one point I thought pick 1 was possible, but I highly doubt he goes pick 1. MAYBE in one league somewhere. Watkins still #1.
After WAtkins though, right now he is my #2 guy.
At one point I thought pick 1 was possible, but I highly doubt he goes pick 1. MAYBE in one league somewhere. Watkins still #1.
After WAtkins though, right now he is my #2 guy.
Phenix
Footballguy
Ebrons woman must have that good, good... while Bortles clearly wins the Barbie award.Dude settled for an UDFA.Already making the most of his time in New York.
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/05/nfl_draft_2014_potential_giants_jets_pick_eric_ebron_proposes_to_girlfriend_on_empire_state_building.html
Oh, well, we can't all be Blake Bortles.
