Sam LaPorta becomes latest NFL-bound Iowa tight end after being picked 34th by Detroit Lions

IOWA CITY — Iowa, the self-proclaimed “Tight End U,” will have another tight end in the NFL.

Sam LaPorta was the Detroit Lions’ selection with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday.

“It’s really a dream come true,” LaPorta told Detroit reporters. “I started playing football when I was 10 years old, and it’s just a surreal moment for me and my family.”

LaPorta will join Iowa teammate Jack Campbell, who was the 18th overall pick, in Detroit.

The Highland, Ill., native was the second tight end chosen in a deep tight end class. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called LaPorta “a receiver in a tight end’s body.”

“Speed to stress a defense,” Kiper said on the ESPN broadcast. “Makes some nice adjustments. Very good, incredible at times, run-after-catch ability. … Consistency as a blocker — that’s an area he has to improve on.”

LaPorta, a 2022 finalist for the Mackey Award, had 50-plus receptions in his last two seasons in Iowa City.

His 58 receptions in 2022 were more than what Iowa’s top two wide receivers had combined.

With LaPorta, Campbell and Lukas Van Ness (13th) off the board, it marks the first time Iowa had three players picked in the first 40 picks of the same draft since 1986.

LaPorta is the third Iowa tight end drafted since 2019, joining T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. (Hockenson also went to the Lions.)

He will be working in Detroit with quarterback Jared Goff, who went to the same high school as Iowa’s Spencer Petras. The Lions ranked fourth in yards per game last year.

“I'm just going to try to add as much value as I can as quickly as I can,” LaPorta said. “The Lions offense last year was extremely explosive. … I just hope I can contribute to that.”

Spotrac has projected a four-year, $9.5 million contract for LaPorta, including a $3.9 million signing bonus.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com