Sam LaPorta
TE
#87
Experience: 3 years
Height: 6-3
Age: 24
Weight: 245 lbs
College: Iowa
2024 SEASON
-
REC60
-
YDS726
-
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)
- Currently tied for the third-most receiving touchdowns (17), and ranked seventh in receiving yards (1,615) and receptions (146) in Lions history among tight ends.
- Started all 16 games in which he played in 2024, logging 60 receptions for 726 yards (12.1 avg.) and seven touchdowns. He finished 2024 with the most receptions (146), tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns (17) and ranked fifth in receiving yards (1,615) among tight ends through two-career seasons in NFL history.
- Joined Brandon Pettigrew (2010-11) as the only tight ends in franchise history to produce multiple seasons with at least 700 receiving yards in 2024.
- In 2024, he became the first tight end in NFL history to produce at least 600 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in each of a player's first two-career seasons.
- Joined 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 in 2024.
- 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.
