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Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron caught just 25 passes for 248 yards during his rookie season.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Shortly after drafting Eric Ebron with the No. 10 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew made it clear he expected the rookie tight end would have an immediate impact.

"Absolutely," Mayhew said. "He's an impact player. He's a difference-maker. I think you'll see that when he starts playing."

Instead, Mayhew and the Lions got just 25 receptions, 248 yards and a single touchdown out of the North Carolina product.

Asked at the NFL scouting combine last week why Ebron didn't make the anticipated splash, Mayhew began to offer a hypothesis before withholding his assessment.

"t's hard to say, you know? The ability is there, without question," Mayhew said. "I think he kind of, I don't know, you'd have to ask him. I don't want to speculate what he was thinking."

Mayhew did make it clear he didn't feel Ebron's lack of production held the organization back last season.

"I don't think it was much of a setback at all," Mayhew said. "These guys are all rookies and I think we put unrealistic expectations on all of them. Some of them beat their expectations, but I think it's unrealistic to expect a rookie to step right in and be dominant. And when one does, that's more the rare occurrence of what typically happens."

The problem for the Lions general manager is four players selected in the seven picks after Ebron wildly exceeded expectations, each qualifying for the Pro Bowl in their inaugural season. Three -- defensive tackle Aaron Donald, offensive lineman Zack Martin and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. -- would have been good fits in Detroit's schemes.

There's still plenty of time for Ebron to figure it out. The tight end position is one of the most complex to learn and he'll be just 22 years old next season.

While Mayhew would have loved to have seen more out of young tight end last season, the rookie learning curve hasn't always been cruel to the general manager. He joked about how it allowed him to extend his playing career.

"When those young guys came in, toward the end of my career (in 1996), I wasn't really good, Mayhew said. "I was just there, but when those young guys came in they couldn't kick me out. They couldn't take my spot because I knew too much about the game. There's so much those guys have to learn that I don't have that expectation when they come in."

The good news for the Lions is Ebron got plenty of experience during his first season. He averaged just over 34 snaps per game.

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