Detroit Lions rookie tight end Eric Ebron said in August he'd already hit and broken through the rookie wall.
However, after four weeks of preparing and learning multiple roles as a move tight end, the rookie realized how easy it is for young players to get worn down by the mental aspect of NFL work.
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"You start to get zombified sooner or later," Ebron said, per the Detroit Free Press. "I don't even know if zombified is a word, but you just turn into a zombie mentally. But you're there physically. Oh, your body's going to work, but your brain just stops."
As for that rookie wall, he's rethinking his earlier declaration, but in a distinctly zombie-esque undead fashion.
"If it's going to come, it's going to come," Ebron said. "If I hit it, I hit it, but I'm going to go through headfirst, so we'll see what happens after I hit it. If I die, I die. If I come out alive, I come out alive."
After averaging 23 snaps his first three games, his production was upped to 34 in Week 4, due to the injury to fellow tight end Joseph Fauria.
With Fauria out, we expect to see Ebron more and more in the coming weeks, especially in the red zone. That is, unless he's turns completely "zombified."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews every Week 5 game and explains why Sammy Watkins is now a favorite for Rookie of the Year.
