Breaking Down Eric Ebron's Role in the Detroit Lions Offense

First-round pick Eric Ebron was a divisive pick among Detroit Lions fans from the moment the team selected him in May's draft. His performance in his first five games has provided ammunition for both sides in the ongoing debate. 

The early returns are underwhelming yet tinged with promise.

Ebron has eight receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown in his first five games.

Catches	Yards	Targets	Drops
8	80	16	2

That isn't exactly the sort of instant impact many Lions fans were looking for from the North Carolina product. Yet his role is increasing, as he received four targets in each of the last two games. 

In fact, the much-discussed rookie has played over half the offensive snaps in those two games after playing less than a third over the first three weeks.

Week	Snaps	Total Snaps
1	20	68
2	26	73
3	23	75
4	34	66
5	38	64

Ebron caught his first career touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 4. He should have added another against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, but an old nemesis tripped him up—his own two hands.

This play was initially ruled a touchdown, and a good argument can be made the call should have been a catch and fumble. Yet Ebron clearly dropped the ball here, both figuratively and literally.

Unreliable hands were a big knock on him in the draft process. With two drops on 16 targets, he's not exactly quelling those concerns. 

It appears he has yet to earn Matthew Stafford's trust. Dropping balls will do that to a quarterback. Yet on this play from the Buffalo game, Ebron demonstrates exactly why general manager Martin Mayhew coveted his skills so much in the draft.

"

Eric Ebron could have had his break-out moment on 1st down of the second drive Sunday. Instead, this was a sack. pic.twitter.com/xVpPTJtDOF

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) October 7, 2014"

Stafford has to throw that ball to him. The Lions quarterback clearly saw him, staring at him for a couple of counts before looking elsewhere and ultimately getting sacked.

Ebron ran this route as if he were a fleet wide receiver. He exploded past the linebacker assigned to him in coverage and gets great depth before the safety has a chance to react. 

Even when he isn't the primary target on a passing play, the young receiver has demonstrated his value. On this play from the Jets game, Detroit uses his speed and precise route running to create an opportunity for wide receiver Golden Tate.

NFL Game Rewind

Ebron is the inside slot in yellow while Tate is flanking him in red. The point of the play is for Ebron to attack up the seam and occupy the safety (circled in blue) as Tate runs a parallel route underneath him.

NFL Game Rewind

Not many tight ends can get this deep in the secondary so quickly. Heck, not every slot receiver can pull this off. As Tate catches the ball, Ebron is in place as a downfield blocker to help clear room for some yards after the catch. Tate shoots past his technically imperfect but functionally effective block for an extra 15 yards. 

Even though a play like this doesn't show up on the stat sheet, Ebron makes this play much more successful. He's a 6'4", 265-pound blocker in the secondary instead of a 5'10", 195-pound lightweight like Ryan Broyles. 

With Calvin Johnson expected to be off the field for at least a week, Ebron is the natural fill-in as the big wide receiver in the lineup. That's precisely how he was used in the dropped touchdown above. He's certainly not Megatron, but his size, speed and athleticism will definitely command attention from the defense.

Buffalo certainly took notice of him. As Justin Rogers of MLive.com revealed, the Bills made sure they accounted for Ebron:

"

I'll also say this about Ebron, the Bills were worried about him. He drew coverage away from other options to create some plays.

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) October 7, 2014"

As he gets more comfortable with his expansive role in the offense, the Lions can keep increasing his snaps and targets. He's proved better than advertised at blocking; witness his 1.5 grade in run-blocking from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), one of just two Lions grading in the green. 

It's time for Detroit to lean more heavily on him. Even though he hasn't been great, Ebron has legitimately shown why the Lions were right to draft him so high.