Eric Ebron, TE out of North Carolina, is written up by NFL.com. If you read what Bucky Brooks and others say about Ebron, you will have the feeling that Ebron is a raw and uneven players with strengths and weaknesses. Wonder’s opinion is radically different.
“I get more impressed by Eric Ebron every time I see him,” says the UltimateNYG Draft analyst. “Right after Sammy Watkins is Eric Ebron. If he is there at 12, I celebrate and rush to the podium to select him.”
Wonder sees a problem. He is afraid the Bills take him at 9. So he would entertain the idea of trading up to 8 with the Vikings, who want a QB but can get that guy at 12 by trading down. “If I am the Giants, I give serious consideration to trading up to get this guy,” says Wonder.
What is really interesting is that I had to stop in my tracks when thinking about the Tight End position in NY. You see, any serious ideas about getting a blockbuster TE would always start and end when the name of Kevin Gilbride surfaced. Gilbride never met a TE he didn’t underutilize. So when we would talk getting Gonzalez, it would make sense on paper but never materialize because a player with that kind of ability would be wasted. As we have noted before, if you have a TE that is great as a receiver, why do you use him to block? As a receiver he takes up 1 or 2 bodies and as a blocker he can theoretically get beaten by 1. NOW THAT GILBRIDE IS GONE, THE IDEA OF TAKING EBRON IN ROUND 1 CAN WORK BIG TIME.
“Ebron would so radically change with Ben McAdoo and the Giants that you would barely recognize the (Offensive) team,” explains Wonder. “He has no weaknesses. Maybe add another 10-15 lbs. He’s not the best in-line blocker like Gronkowski, but he’ll be a solid blocker. This guy is an all-around player. He’s made the for the NY Giants. Much better than Shockey, tons faster. His head is screwed on. What he would do for Eli in terms of a security blanket is off the charts. The last guys who I have thought about with this kind of ability were Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis. Without Gilbride and with McAdoo you can leverage this Tight End.
“Ebron stretches the field. He runs down the seam like nobody’s business. Once he catches the ball, he is a pain in the a** to bring down.”
One thing we will note is that Eli has had more troubles without that tall receiving option. Gone are the 6’3″ Toomers, 6’5″ Burresses and 6’6″ Bosses. Instead we have Cruz (6’0″), Randle (6’2″), and a (last season) disappointing TE. So getting back a 6’4″ productive Tight End would help in a bg way.
Wonder finishes up his thoughts: “There is no way that Ebron is not going to deliver in the NFL. So it makes a great deal of sense to leverage Eli in his prime and fill this need at TE with this kind of player. With lots of solid OLmen available in R2, R3 and even perhaps in R4, you can go for TE here in R1 and completely makeover your Offense.”
It is obvious that Wonder is sky high on this player. As long as the Giants are confident that they can get a strong lineman, it sounds like a very reasonable path to take. Wonder threw out the name of OG David Yankey in Round 2, but from what I am seeing in Mock Drafts, I do not think Yankey will be there that long. Getting Ebron and Yankey would be exciting, if not unlikely.
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