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North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron is Mel Kiper Jr's latest pick for the Giants.

(Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

Let's take a break from our regularly scheduled free-agent obsession period for our monthly Mel Kiper Jr. update.

Kiper's 2014 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 hit the interwebs on Thursday and there is a new name sitting next to the Giants at No. 12. It's North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron.

Kiper had linebacker C.J. Mosley pegged to the Giants in his first two mocks of the year. Ebron, however, is making more and more sense as the Giants don’t appear likely to sign a tight end of note in free agency.

Here’s Kiper’s explanation of the pick:

Ebron (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) is an athletic, difference-making tight end in the mold of Vernon Davis. He even said he grew up a fan of the Giants, and his favorite player was Jeremy Shockey.

I’ve long been a proponent for the Giants to take Ebron in the first round. After watching the tight ends at the NFL Combine last month, it looks like he’s the only potential star at that position in this year's draft.

And with the way the NFL is trending -- with bigger, faster and stronger tight ends that can’t be touched because of the rules -- a dominant tight end is more important than ever. Safeties can't cover them, because they're not athletic enough. Linebackers have no chance. Teams need to devote multiple defensive players to stop the league's better tight end nowadays.

Ebron would provide the Giants with a new element to their offense, especially after the underwhelming year of Brandon Myers. Combine Ebron with Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle and there is a solid trio for Eli Manning to target. Losing Hakeem Nicks won’t hurt all that much if that is the lineup.

But there’s a long ways to go. The draft isn’t until May. It’s only mid-March. Kiper projected Ebron to be selected 16th overall by the Ravens in his first two mocks, and he admits he can see him landing in the Top 10 by the time everything is said and done.