Joseph Fauria

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.

"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."

This is not an encouraging description, but rookie tight ends generally have a tough time making an immediate impact. Ebron will continue to be a decent TE2/streaming option as long as Joseph Fauria is out. Ebron played more than half the snaps in Week 4 for the first time this season and caught a TD against the Jets.