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The Jets missed out on free agent tight end Brandon Pettigrew, but you know what, it would not be shocking . . .
. . . if the top tight end prospect in the draft is sitting there when they are on the clock at 18.
When you look at all the offensive tackles, quarterbacks, wide receivers and pass rushers who have Top 17 potential, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if North Carolina’s Eric Ebron is available.
I know this sounds like a pipe dream for Jets fans, the concept of this freakish tight end slipping to their team, but I’m telling you it could happen, the way the Top 17 is shaping up.
Ebron is a 6-4, 250-pound tight end who moves like a wide receiver. He is a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses. Not only does run in the 4.5-4.6 area, but he’s an unbelievable athlete for his size with great agility, and he makes circus catches on a regular basis.
He and Jeff Cumberland would be quite a tandem.
There following is Ebron, in his own words, talking about his game and his step to the next level . . .
“Every team wants a complete tight end, an all-purpose tight end, not one that can just run down the seam and catch passes. They want a guy that can block too. I tell them that I’ve been working hard on it, which I have, and that I’m not bad at it, which everyone thinks, but we’ll see.
“I think why teams don’t press me is because they can’t. I will not be pressed at the line of scrimmage. That’s a prideful thing of mine.
“(I pattern my game after) Vernon Davis. Because (of the) similarities. His speed, he’s powerful, he’s very strong at the line of scrimmage. Love everything about him.
“I played at 245, 250 is only 5 more pounds. [250] is where I want to stay. This is where I’m most comfortable. This is where I feel fast, powerful and being all purpose so I’ll stay at 250.
“There’s a lot of great tight ends. Jace (Amaro), (Austin) Seferian-Jenkins, C.J., Arthur Lynch, there’s a lot of great tight ends. I don’t believe I’m the number one tight end because I’ve still got work to do but every tight end, every person has work to do. We’ll just see on the draft boards. I play fast. I’m a little bit faster than most (tight ends).
“I’m very different. I play the tight end role like no one else. The way I play my game. I just do different things than other tight ends do. If you watch film you’ll probably say the same thing.
“Things I need to work on is everything. I’m about to step into a professional career, professional level of grown men that do this for a living so I feel like I need to work on everything. Everything will help me be, hopefully eventually an elite tight end in the NFL.
“It’s become more in demand, the tight end position. There’s become more of a need for talent, speed, and athleticism rather than big bulky just blocking tight ends. It’s become a need of special people to play that position in order to create different mismatches and better offenses so I feel like I fit right in.”
March 14, 2104
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