Lions’ Quinn: Roberts doesn’t affect decision on Ebron

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions landed a tight end in the draft, as most expected, taking Toledo’s Michael Roberts in the fourth round on Saturday.

But that addition has no bearing on whether the team will pick up the fifth-year option on Eric Ebron’s contract, a decision that must be made by Tuesday.

“I don’t think it affects the decision on Eric that we’ll make here in the next couple days,” general manager Bob Quinn said. “I would say this, though: Michael is a different kind of tight end than Eric is. Eric’s a fast, athletic, ‘F’ tight end, we call them. Big Mike is a ‘Y’.”

More than a dozen teams have already exercised the option on their 2013 first-round picks, while many others have been non-committal. The Lions waited to the deadline last season to exercise defensive end Ziggy Ansah’s option, despite the decision being obvious.

It remains likely the Lions pick up Ebron’s option, which will pay him more than $8 million in 2018. The option year wouldn’t become guaranteed until next March, on the first day of the 2018 league year.