Sam LaPorta
TE
#87
Experience: 3 years
Height: 6-3
Age: 24
Weight: 245 lbs
College: Iowa
2024 SEASON
-
REC60
-
YDS726
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AVG12.1
-
TDS7
Recent Games
| WK | OPP | RESULT | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Bears | W 23 - 20 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| 14 | Packers | W 34 - 31 | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 14 | 0 | |||||||
| 15 | Bills | L 42 - 48 | 7 | 111 | 15.9 | 31 | 0 | |||||||
| 16 | @Bears | W 34 - 17 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 21 | 1 | |||||||
| 17 | @49ers | W 40 - 34 | 6 | 64 | 10.7 | 28 | 1 | |||||||
| 18 | Vikings | W 31 - 9 | 7 | 63 | 9 | 17 | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Rams | W 26 - 20 | 4 | 45 | 11.2 | 18 | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Buccaneers | L 16 - 20 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 7 | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | @Cardinals | W 20 - 13 | 2 | 36 | 18 | 24 | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Seahawks | W 42 - 29 | 4 | 53 | 13.2 | 30 | 0 | |||||||
| 6 | @Cowboys | W 47 - 9 | 1 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 1 | |||||||
| 7 | @Vikings | W 31 - 29 | 1 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 0 | |||||||
| 8 | Titans | W 52 - 14 | 6 | 48 | 8 | 24 | 1 | |||||||
| 9 | @Packers | W 24 - 14 | 2 | 28 | 14 | 19 | 0 | |||||||
| 10 | @Texans | W 26 - 23 | 3 | 66 | 22 | 37 | 1 | |||||||
| 11 | Jaguars | W 52 - 6 | ||||||||||||
| 12 | @Colts | W 24 - 6 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 9 | 0 |
Career Stats
WRTE Career
| SEASON | TEAM | G | GS | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Detroit Lions | 17 | 14 | 86 | 889 | 10.3 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Detroit Lions | 16 | 16 | 60 | 726 | 12.1 | 52 | 7 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 33 | 30 | 146 | 1615 | 11.2 | 52 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Biography
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- AP Second-Team All Pro: 2023
- Pro Bowl: 2023
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week: 2023 (Week 13, Week 15)
- Through the first two seasons of a tight end's career in NFL history, he ranks first in receptions (146), tied-for-second in receiving touchdowns (17) and is fifth in receiving yards (1,615).
- Is the only tight end in NFL history to log at least 600 receiving touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns in each of a player's first two-career seasons.
- Joins Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham as the only tight ends in NFL history to record at least 125 receptions and 15 touchdowns through two-career seasons.
- Joins Brandon Pettigrew (2010-11) as the only tight ends in franchise history to produce multiple seasons with at least 700 receiving yards.
- Among all NFL tight ends in 2024, he ranked third in first down receiving percentage (65.0%), tied-for-third in receptions of 25-plus yards (six), tied-for-fourth in receiving touchdowns (seven) and fifth in receiving average (12.1).
- Set the NFL rookie tight end record for receptions (86) while also tying for the second-most touchdown receptions (10) and fourth-most receiving yards (889) by a rookie tight end in NFL history. He also produced 10 individual games with five-or-more receptions in 2023, the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
- Became the second rookie in NFL history to produce a rookie season with at least 85 receptions, 850 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions, joining WR Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.
- As a rookie in 2023, he also set the franchise tight end records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a season, regardless of experience.
- Among all rookies in franchise history, regardless of position, he ranks first in receiving touchdowns, second in receptions and second in receiving yards.
- Became the first Lions tight end to lead all NFL tight ends in receiving touchdowns in a single season in 2023.
- Tied for the NFL lead by producing two games with multiple touchdown receptions in 2023. He became the eighth rookie tight end in NFL history to log two multi-touchdown games, the fifth Lions tight end to do so (regardless of experience) and the third Lions rookie to do so (regardless of position).
- Produced 140 receiving yards against the Saints (12/3/2023), the most in a game by a rookie tight end in team history.
- Logged 21 receptions in the 2023 postseason, the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history. The total ranks fourth in NFL history by a rookie, regardless of position, and tied-for-sixth among tight ends, regardless of experience.
COLLEGE:
- Played four seasons (2019-22) at Iowa, totaling 153 receptions for 1,786 yards (11.7 avg.) and five touchdowns. Among all-time Iowa tight ends, he is first in career receptions and second in receiving yards.
- Led Big Ten tight ends in yards (670), yards after catch (299), yards after contact (206), receptions (53) and catches of 15-plus yards (18).
- Maintained a streak of 24 consecutive games with at least one reception from 2019 through the first 10 games of the 2021 season.
- 2022: Appeared and started in 12 games, where he totaled 58 receptions for 657 yards (11.3 avg.) and one touchdown.
- Big Ten Tight End of the Year
- First Team All-Big Ten
- 2021: Appeared in 14 games and started in 13 of them, where he recorded 53 receptions for 670 yards (12.6 avg.) and three touchdowns.
- 2020: Appeared in all eight games and started in five of them, where he totaled 27 receptions for 271 yards (10.0 avg.) and two touchdowns.
- Led the team in receptions and ranked second in receiving yards.
- 2019: Appeared in 12 games and started in two, where he had 15 receptions for 188 yards (12.5 avg.)
PERSONAL:
- Majored in business at Iowa.
- Earned Academic All-State recognition three years.
- Attended Highland (Ill.) High School.
- Ranked second in Illinois high school history in receiving touchdowns (50) and third in receiving yards (3,793).
- Earned Dean's List recognition in Spring 2020 and Fall 2022.
