NFC North: 5 offensive players poised to breakout in 2015
By Daniel
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
3. Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions
Yeah, this is kind of the chalk pick for the Detroit Lions, but I really do believe it to be true. Eric Ebron didn’t exactly take the NFL by storm in 2014 like some thought he would, but he was only 21 years old and was adjusting to a new offense and league. In 2015, look for Ebron to be a focal point of the Lions’ offense as defenses attempt to defend wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. Defenses should be paying extra attention to those two players on the outside and down the field. That will open up the middle of the field for Ebron to exploit.
Once Ebron gets comfortable with his role in the offense, look out. The 6’4″ and 250 beast should be quite difficult to bring down. As a rookie he caught 25 passes, including one touchdown. Although he caught 60 passes in his senior year at North Carolina — so he can clearly be a dominant receiver.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has the luxury of having multiple weapons to throw to and Ebron should not only benefit from a lack of attention on him, he should be demanding it by the end of the season. If he can make opposing defenses worry about him then Detroit’s offense could be the most lethal in the league. Look for 700 receiving yards and at least six touchdowns for Ebron this fall.
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