ALLEN PARK -- Lions tight end Eric Ebron was heading into his final year at North Carolina as the big man on campus. People were already talking about how highly, not if, he'd be drafted.

Then one day a freshman quarterback walks into the building, and starts throwing lasers.

"He was on the practice squad," Ebron said, "and I was just amazed how well he threw the damn football. I mean, there isn't a place he couldn't put the football. And I can't wait for him to develop in this league. I told him that. 'You can do this, bro. There's a lot of people we played with that come into the NFL, and I'm like, ehhh? But you? You can do this.'

That quarterback? Mitchell Trubisky.

The Bears caused a bit of a stir on draft day when they dealt the No. 3 pick, plus a third- and fourth-rounder this year and another fourth-rounder next year, to move up to second overall. Yes, just one spot. But they loved Trubisky. They wanted Trubisky. And nobody was going to beat them to Trubisky.

Now the Lions will get their first look at the golden armed rookie on Sunday at Soldier Field, and Ebron is looking forward to, well, giving his old friend the rookie treatment.

"I know he played well last week," Ebron said, "but I look forward to kicking his ass this week. And we'll trade jerseys afterward, because that's my guy."

Whether Trubisky is worth the bounty Chicago gave up remains to be seen. He moved into the starting lineup after a 1-3 start, and the results have been mixed. He's turned the ball over four times in five games, thrown just three touchdown passes and was sacked five times last week in a 23-16 loss against Green Bay.

Chicago is 2-3 in Trubisky's starts, and scored more than 17 points just once.

But nobody is sounding any alarm bells either, because the talent is obvious. He has a huge arm, and enough mobility to hurt you on the move too. He's averaged 7.3 yards on his 15 carries.

Right now, defenses are just throwing the kitchen sink at him to confuse the rookie. Welcome to the NFL, kid. It's tough on first-year players, and quarterbacks especially, and you can bet Teryl Austin will try to do the same on Sunday.

"You know the defensive coordinators are probably going to try to mess with you more than the veteran QBs, and they're always going to try to throw in new twists or a wrinkle in the defenses," Trubisky said. "So far throughout our season, every defensive coordinator has played us differently then what they've shown against other teams."

Ebron empathizes. He was taken 10th overall by the Lions in 2014, and the game was hard for him as a rookie too. He struggled to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being taken so highly, and fans hated him for it. Even though he's doubled his production the last two years, he remains perhaps the most unpopular player in Detroit.

So as Trubisky became a lightning rod in the days after his selection in Chicago, Ebron called with some advice.

"I just kind of told him to get ready for a rollercoaster," Ebron said. "I told him, 'You're not going to play perfect every game. You're not going to be the guy, like it was in college. You just got to go out there and give it your all, and ignore everything else."

Trubisky appreciated the call. They played just one year together, but he remembers Ebron fondly. He called Ebron "the center of attention" at North Carolina, and a "clown" in the locker room. Which will sound awfully familiar to Lions fans.

"Ain't nothing changed," Ebron said with a laugh. "I was probably 30 times worse back then actually."

But Trubisky also took Ebron's serious advice to heart.

"He's just told me to block out distractions," Trubisky said. "And I'm not on social media or anything (anymore), so I don't see what people say to me. Just blocking out distractions, and he has continued to tell to just be yourself, be the player that's got you to this point. Trust your abilities and just go out there and play and have fun because if you're not being yourself, then you're just running out there not playing your game and that's not what got you to this point.

"He said just relax, have fun, be yourself and you'll be successful."

That hasn't quite happened yet, but there's no reason to believe it won't either. Just last week, Trubisky completed 21 of 35 passes against Green Bay, for 297 yards, one touchdown -- and for just the second time in his career, no turnovers.

Ebron has seen enough of him to know it's only a matter of when, not if, Trubisky will be capable of hurting the Lions.

"I mean, this guy can just can throw the damn football," Ebron said. "Whenever he came in, we just knew that thing was going to be on a rope. I'm not expecting him to go out there (Sunday) and throw for 300 yards as a rookie. But do I expect it from him down the line, once he picks up the system and everything? Of course, because that's the kind of guy he is. He can ball."