ALLEN PARK -- Eric Ebron is well aware of the mistakes he made as a rookie. They give him some stories to tell.

Three years ago, he'd just turned 21 and was a top-10 draft pick, the newest target for Matthew Stafford and a team ready to break through into the playoffs. The early days were awkward as he tried to take on a more advanced playbook, to show he could be a mismatch tight without many results to prove it with.

The past three years have been like growing pains on his way to earning a fifth-year option from the Detroit Lions. But now that Detroit has a rookie draft pick at the position, they've become something to share.

Michael Roberts is a fourth-round rookie out of Toledo. He was drafted to be a Y tight end to Erbon's F, meaning he'll play in-line and take on even more of a blocking role with shorter routes to run. With a veteran in Darren Fells also at the position, his pressure is so much lower than Ebron's ever was.

The mistakes can still be difficult. The terminology and depth of plays put college responsibilities to shame. Ezekiel Ansah isn't quite as blockable as a Mid-American Conference defensive end either.

Just as organized training activities were beginning this week, Ebron tried to put him at ease. "You won't make more mistakes than I did my rookie year," he told him.

"It's just the learning curve, man," Ebron said. "I told him yesterday: You've played football since you were young, but when you get to the NFL, this is your first year ever playing football. That's how it is. The way you learn, the fundamentals, the challenges, the obstacles. It's definitely harder for younger guys."

To Roberts, who watched Ebron's games on TV from nearby Toledo, the words are reassuring. They let him know the first few weeks with a pro team don't have to be glamorous. They also don't have to be so serious.

With Ebron, life often isn't. But the third-year pro is trying to be more than the young kid in the tight-end room now that there's a younger one in the group. Ebron only just turned 24, but he's already spent an eighth of his life in the pro ranks.

"It's a different kind of role, but it's definitely fun. Someone comes to ask you for advice and you actually know what you're talking about," Ebron said.

Ebron knows he's far from a finished product himself, and the Lions waited until the deadline day earlier this month to pick up his fifth-year option for 2018. But he embodies progress as a receiver, moving from 248 yards as a rookie to 537 as a sophomore to 711 last season, which ranked eighth among all tight ends. His catches, yards per catch and catch percentage have risen each year, too.

The NFL transition will be a challenging one for Roberts, too. He started college ball a year late and waited until his senior season to become a full-time starter, when he broke out with 16 scores. He was drafted in the fourth round in order to develop behind two veterans, so his role will allow for more stumbles than top-10 pick ever allowed Ebron.

It was just reassuring to hear about it from someone who stumbled a bit, too.