The rookie tight end has shown next-level skill in multiple areas of the game since Week 1.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re well aware Sam LaPorta’s rookie year could be classified as historic.
Sam LaPorta’s statistical impact as a Rookie TE was historic, registering 86 catches for nearly 900 yards while scoring 10 TD’s.
Despite those gaudy numbers, the most impressive element to LaPorta’s season might’ve been his ability to win on 3rd Downs.#Lions #DetroitLions pic.twitter.com/Xjx0tettJB— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) June 19, 2024
All 22 Films on YouTube offers almost a 30-minute LaPorta film session, starting with his impressive NFL debut in the league season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs . Not only did LaPorta immediately prove effective at tight end and receiving—five catches for 39 yards whilst beating Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, but made three different blocks that illustrated how balanced he was in the run game right off the bat.
“It was kind of shocking to sit back and look at the impact or the way he was utilized—the diversity of how he was utilized. I had no idea he was going to be that complete in Week 1,” the analyst says.
The video does a great job featuring countless plays where LaPorta—again, a rookie— displays proficiency in a number of areas, particularly third-down conversions. Combine his versatility and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator/guru Ben Johnson’s playbook and defenses were in big, big trouble.
“He’s a true matchup variable in this offense. He’d be a true matchup variable in any offense for real. But in this one in the way it turned out, him and (Amon-Ra) St. Brown just tormented NFL defenses with the number of targets that they got and the number of plays that they made. I think what they did together in 2023 was pretty amazing,” the video says.
You can watch it in full below.
And onto the rest of your notes.
- A new “Get to Know” article from detroitlions.com featuring rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. My favorite answer is what he likes most about Detroit: “Learning the new lingo. Whatupdoe!”
- Obsessed with Amon-Ra St. Brown giving a shoutout to his fans in Germany (scroll through). In case you didn’t know, his mother is German and the Sun God has dual German citizenship. Props to him for helping to grow the sport worldwide.
- “The 12-5 team we saw last year should be intact for at least two more seasons, and the defense seems to be slowly catching up to the offense, so we haven’t seen the best of Detroit just yet.” SB Nation’s Kenneth Arthur ranks the Lions as the co-top NFC team set up for success this season and next.
- I’ll just leave this here…
Ranking Matt Patricia in the pantheon of terrible coaching hires https://t.co/XvfUY5Uo2G pic.twitter.com/PzluN75BLZ
— The Lions Wire (@thelionswire) June 20, 2024
- Having had the honor of reporting for the Michigan Panthers this season, I feel it is my duty to shout into the skies about it. Whatever your feelings on the league, these players work hard and care a lot. CBS Sports put together a cool tracker following which NFL teams have signed UFL players , including, of course, the Lions.