NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders made the announcement.
Mel Kiper, ESPN draft analyst, thought the Lions would go with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU. But he said, “Ebron is a glorified wide receiver at 6-4 and half and 250 pounds. A great athlete with tremendous speed. He can stretch the deep middle area and make circus catches.”
He was considered the top tight end available in the draft.
“I don’t even know why we call him a tight end,” said former NFL coach Jon Gruden, adding that North Carolina rarely used Ebron as a blocker next to the tackle. While he has soft hands and can open up the middle of the field as well as any tight end, he’ll have to improve his blocking.
Ebron, in person at the draft, showed emotion while getting the call from the Lions, who are now coached by Jim Caldwell, and took his time getting to the stage, where he put on the Lions cap and hugged Commissioner Roger Goodell. He posed for pictures with Goodell, Sanders and a Lions jersey with his name.
He is the first tight end chosen in the top 10 since Vernon Davis, who went to San Francisco in 2006.
“I’m thrilled for Eric and his family,” said UNC head coach Larry Fedora. “Eric is the prototype tight end that the NFL is looking for these days. He can run all the routes. He can catch the ball, make people miss and has the speed to run away from defenders. The Lions are getting a special player and I think his best football is ahead of him.”
A native of Greensboro, Ebron set school tight end marks for single-season receptions, single-season yards, career receptions and career receiving yards as a junior in 2013.
“Eric flourished in our offense and we were creative in getting the ball to him in space,” said Fedora. “He loves playing football and has a lot of fun on the field. I’m looking forward to watching him play for several years in the NFL.”
It was an especially big day for Ebron who was engaged earlier in the day to his girlfriend Brittany Roundtree at the top of the Empire State Building.
Ebron, who decided to forego his senior season at UNC, caught 62 passes for 973 yards and three TDs, and was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a junior. His 973 receiving yards are an ACC single-season record for tight ends, topping the mark of 871 set by Maryland’s Vernon Davis in 2005.