If Detroit Lions trade Eric Ebron, NFL draft could yield replacement

If the Detroit Lions trade Eric Ebron before the start of free agency next week, they might be able to find his replacement in what ESPN analyst Todd McShay said is shaping up to be a "solid" class at the position.

McShay said three tight ends stand above the rest as potential late first- or early second-round picks: South Dakota State's Dallas Goedert, South Carolina's Hayden Hurst and Penn State's Mike Gesicki.

Goedert, McShay's top tight end, should be in play for teams "beyond pick about 20," McShay said.

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The Lions have the 20th pick of the first round.

"Then there’s a little bit of a drop off when you get into guys like Mark Andrews from Oklahoma, who’s a pass catcher not a blocker," McShay said in a teleconference Wednesday. "Same for Jordan Akins from UCF. (He's) 6-3, 250 pounds but can really, really run."

The Lions fielded trade offers for Ebron, their top tight end and third-leading receiver last season, during the NFL combine last week, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

The team has contemplated dealing Ebron since early last season, when he was struggling with drops and dealing with outside expectations.

Ebron finished the season on a positive note, catching four or more passes in six of the season's final seven games, and general manager Bob Quinn has twice indicated he expects Ebron to be a part of the team in 2018.

The Lions have taken a tight end in the first round twice in the past nine seasons — Ebron went 10th overall in 2014, and Brandon Pettigrew was the 20th pick of the 2009 draft — and seem unlikely to spend that high of a pick on the position this year.

Goedert caught 164 passes and 18 touchdowns the last two seasons, and McShay said that he's "kind of become rare in that he’s a two-way player."

"By that I mean he can be an in-line blocker and then he can legitimately go out and create some matchup problems when you detach him from the line and use him in that F tight end role," McShay said. "I was really impressed with his tape. I think he’s going to work out well when he does eventually work out (after being injured at the Senior Bowl)."

Hurst, McShay's No.2 tight end, spent two seasons playing minor league baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before turning to college football. He had 44 catches for 559 yards last season, but turns 25 years old this summer.

Gesicki led Penn State with 57 catches last season for 563 yards and tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns.

"He's not going to block much for you, but he’s a guy you can move around, he’s got speed," McShay said. "His combine performance was exceptional for the tight end position. What stands out most on tape is that even though the routes aren’t always the prettiest and he doesn’t always get separation, he figures out a way with his frame and his vertical and how long he is, to go get late separation, and uses his body to box out. He's as good a 50-50 ball guy as I’ve seen in a while. When that ball is up in the air, he’s a former volleyball player, he’s got great ups, and when that ball is up in the air he comes down with a really high percentage of the jump ball types."

If the Lions do trade Ebron and decide to replace him via free agency, some of the top players at the position expected to hit the market include Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks, Austin Seferian-Jenkins of the New York Jets and Trey Burton of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Listen: Dave Birkett's on the Lions' plans in free agency and the draft.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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