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Rookie tight end Eric Ebron has looked explosive during training camp, but he's also struggled with drops. (Mike Mulhlland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Most rookies have a hard enough time learning one position. Eric Ebron has to learn as many as four, and do it with the scrutiny of a first-round draft choice.

That magnifies every mistake, and especially the drops.

But Ebron believes those will subside once he becomes comfortable in the offense.

"It's just a mental blockage," the Detroit Lions tight end said after Saturday's practice. "It's me overthinking my assignments, my alignments, and making sure I'm right. And while all those roles are playing in my head, here comes a 90 mph fastball from Matt Stafford.

"You know what, you're not going to catch it -- you're never going to catch it -- if you're thinking about something else while that ball is coming to you."

Ebron was considered the top tight end in the NFL draft, but every prospect has weaknesses. And the knock on Ebron was that he dropped too many passes.

He had an 11.4-percent drop rate last season, then dropped at least one pass in each of his first five practices with the Lions. His struggles seemed especially bad on come-back routes, when he was running toward Stafford.

But he says he's not concerned those struggles will linger into the season. His drop-free scrimmage on Saturday could be evidence of that.

"Most people, it takes three years to master one position. I'm out here learning three to four positions," Ebron said. "(The Lions) know I'm smart enough to do it, they know I'm talented enough to do it, and I'm just going to go out here and show them I can.

"I think I'm doing pretty darn good. All the coaches tell me I'm doing good and keep me level-headed. They know they're throwing a lot at me, Coach Caldwell knows he's throwing a lot at me, and it's just about adjusting and staying true to who I am."

Ebron said he expects to turn a corner once he masters how to catch a Stafford ball -- which as any Lions pass-catcher can attest, comes with a little extra zest. His best advice came from Calvin Johnson, who said the trick is to expect the ball to arrive hard and fast every time.

"I think there's no question with all of the things he has to learn, that he's certainly making progress," Caldwell said. "It's a difficult position to play because you're literally learning all four positions. Often times to the untrained eye, the guy lines up in so many different places that it's not an easy task.

"He's getting accustomed to it, he's getting better all of the time. He's grasping things a little bit better and I see that he's making plays. He has to keep that going."

Ebron flashed that big-play ability Saturday, hauling in a deep touchdown pass from Stafford on the first drive of the scrimmage. The next step is learning how to routinely make the routine play.

"It's like hitting a road block, you know," Ebron said. "You just adjust to it. You get over the speed bumps."