NFL Draft Rumors: Eric Ebron considered the near-unanimous top tight end in class

It’s generally difficult to rank individual players at their respective positions for the NFL Draft, but this year it seems as if North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron is far and away the top tight end prospect in the class, according to the experts at NFL.com.

The analyst team was quizzed as to who is the best at that position, and the overwhelming favorite was the Tar Heels product, and here’s a few of the reasons given as to why:

Daniel Jeremiah:

"I have Ebron over Seferian-Jenkins with a little bit of a margin between the two, and the difference is what Ebron can do after the catch. I don’t think it’s close. I can throw a shallow cross to Ebron and he can take it up the sideline and go. Seferian-Jenkins can catch the football, he’s great in the red zone, but he doesn’t bring that excitement like aVernon Davis-type does, a guy who can really stretch the seam and give me something after the catch."

Chase Goodbread:

"Ebron brings the highest ceiling at the position in this draft with a combination of athleticism and receiving skills that are tough to match. There are better blockers than Ebron available at this position, to be sure, but the team that makes Ebron the first tight end off the board — most likely among the top 15-20 picks — won’t be making that investment for his blocking. He’ll be counted on right away as a downfield threat, and even among athletic pass catchers like Amaro and Seferian-Jenkins at this position, Ebron has the best chance to be a special player on Sundays."

Mike Huguenin:

"I like Eric Ebron the best, though I’m not sure I would take him in the top 20. He has good speed and can get deep — becoming more and more important for tight ends these days — and I think he is a better blocker than a lot of analysts give him credit for. He also is the only tight end I would take in the first round. I have concerns about the maturity of Seferian-Jenkins and the blocking ability of Amaro. And while Amaro was amazingly productive at Texas Tech, he won’t be playing in that type of offense again. I think Niklas has a chance to be a big-timer because he’s the best “dual threat” (blocker and receiver) among the tight ends."

Now this isn’t to say that the class isn’t deep by any means. There are other potentially solid talents like Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jace Amaro and Troy Niklas–but Ebron really has separated himself that much further since the draft process began.