2014 NFL mock draft: Giants select Eric Ebron

With the 12th pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2014 NFL mock draft, the New York Giants select North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron. StaffordSuperBowlMVP is serving as the Giants' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

I felt Eric Ebron was the best player available who also filled a hole in the Giants offense. The best TE in the draft should provide an athletic weapon for Eli Manning, as Brandon Myers left via free agency. The Giants were 30th in the NFL in red-zone efficiency last season, according to TeamRankings.com, so drafting a playmaker like Ebron should help. Ebron set an ACC record for tight ends with 973 receiving yards in 2013, and he is a threat down the field with speed and possesses a large catch radius due to his size and athletic ability.

In free agency, the Giants added CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to go with CB Prince Amukamara, who is entering his fourth year, and with their duo of Will Hill (finished as PFF's second-highest rated safety) and Antrel Rolle (also graded in the top 10 by PFF) at safety, I was not tempted to look at upgrading their secondary in Round 1. Ebron is a popular choice at Big Blue View and would be welcomed if he fell to them at 12.

The only other option I looked at was DT Aaron Donald. At DT, the Giants have 2013 second-round pick Johnathan Hankins and 2013 free-agent signing Cullen Jenkins, who PFF graded at +8.0 and +6.2, respectively, in 2013. They could use some depth at DT to replace Linval Joseph, who left in free agency, but I felt Ebron was a little higher value and filled a larger need.

--

Check out the 2014 POD Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.