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 | |
Kyle Pitts | 2021 | 68 | 1,026 | 1 | |
Jeremy Shockey | 2002 | 74 | 894 | 2 | |
Keith Jackson | 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.