Sam LaPorta was instrumental to the Lions‘ 42-17 rout of the Broncos on Saturday night. And Detroit fans know the tight end has been instrumental to Dan Campbell’s offense all year. But it turns out, after LaPorta’s three-touchdown game against Denver, he’s also one of the most accomplished rookie tight ends in NFL history.
Not only did the 22-year-old Iowa product become just the eighth rookie tight end in NFL history with three different TD catches in a single game — and the first since Joseph Fauria, another Lions TE, did it in 2013. But his rookie-year numbers are now on par with some of the best ever recorded at the pro level by first-year players at the position. Here’s a look at the top 10 in terms of yards:
| Player | Team | Year | Catches | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mike Ditka |
1961 |
56 |
1,076 | 12 | |
|
2021 |
68 |
1,026 | 1 | ||
|
Jeremy Shockey |
2002 |
74 |
894 | 2 | |
|
1988 |
81 |
869 | 6 | ||
|
Charle Young |
Eagles |
1973 |
55 |
854 | 6 |
|
Sam LaPorta |
Lions |
2023 |
71 |
758 | 9 |
| John Mackey | Colts | 1963 | 35 | 726 | 7 |
| Evan Engram | Giants | 2017 | 64 | 722 | 6 |
| Cameron Cleeland | Saints | 1998 | 54 | 684 | 6 |
| Bob Trumpy | Bengals | 1968 | 37 | 639 | 4 |
Other rookie TEs, like Patriots great Rob Gronkowski, have logged more TDs (10), but LaPorta is already fast approaching the top five all-time rookie TEs in receiving yardage, and his usage doesn’t figure to slow in the final weeks of the 2023 season, with Detroit still in contention for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. It’s safe to say Motown is satisfied with landing him in the second round this past spring.
