NFL Draft 2014: Interview with top TE prospect Eric Ebron
By Jack Crosby
With the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine now out of the way, many NFL prospects have begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. One of those players is former North Carolina Tar Heels tight end, Eric Ebron.
After what was one of the more successful careers in North Carolina football program history, Ebron began his journey to the NFL with his turn at the Combine, where he opened a lot of eyes. He ran a 4.60 in the 40-yard dash, turned in a 32-inch vertical leap and a 120-inch broad jump. We all knew coming out that he was one of the more athletic tight ends in the group, but the 6-4, 250-pounder showed that first-hand in Indianapolis.
Recently, I had the chance to throw some topics Ebron’s way about his prep for that Combine performance, potential NFL landing spots, as well as some of his time in Chapel Hill.
Jack Jorgensen: Eric, first off, you’re participating this year in the web series, “Pressure Points,” a project set up in conjunction with Gillette Clinical Clear Gel Deodorant and NFL Films along with Jadeveon Clowney and Aaron Murray. Tell me a little bit more about this.
Eric Ebron: The “Pressure Points” series is just going to give you a little bit of a glimpse at our life outside of all the glitz and glamor heading up to the draft. You get to see what we do, how we do it–all the training, the grind and the process.
JJ: You put up some impressive numbers when it was your turn to shine at the Combine. How would you assess your performance in Indy in front of the NFL teams.
EE: I probably could have done better if I had not been still dealing with injury. I just wanted to go out there and put up a good, solid day. My coaches did a great job getting me prepared leading up to all of it.
JJ: You’re one of the fast risers as the Draft rapidly approaches. Is there any particular team that you would like to hear call your name in New York City?
EE: To be honest, I’ll be happy when any team grabs me. But, having been a fan of them since I was young, it would be an honor to play for the New York Giants (who sit with the 12th pick this year).
JJ: I wanted to touch base just a little bit, for the college folks, about the turnaround you guys had at North Carolina last year. With some choosing you guys as a preseason favorite in the ACC, you got off to a terrible start, yet were able to put it all together near the end and even come away with a bowl win. Tell me a bit about that 180-degree turn you guys pulled.
EE: It was all about leadership. We had a very young team, with a lot of young guys that we were trying to insert into some very important roles. When you look at some of the games we lost, we were just making some small mistakes. We needed to eliminate those small mistakes, which we did. The turning point was the Miami game. Although we lost, we showed we could fight to the end and we turned everything around from there.
JJ: When is your pro day at Chapel Hill, and is there anything in specific you want to improve on?
EE: My pro day is March 25, and there’s not really anything in particular that I want to improve on. I just want to go out there and show all the coaches that have been watching my tape that I’m even better in person.