Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has won NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 15.
The Iowa product caught five passes for 56 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's game, a 42-17 triumph over the Broncos to move to 10-4 on the season.
On the year, LaPorta now has 71 catches for 758 yards and nine touchdowns. His third touchdown against Denver gave him the record for most receiving touchdowns by a Lions' tight end.
"I just go back – no, it’s not easy all that he’s been able to do to grasp and produce this fast in all the areas, honestly," said coach Dan Campbell. "I mean, I just go back to this, his run blocking and pass blocking has improved significantly on top of what everybody sees, the catches, the routes, the run after catch. And no, I mean, I think you’re always, you would love to say that every rookie’s going to come in and fill that vision immediately, but that’s not the reality, that’s not the truth."
LaPorta has outperformed many expectations as a second-round pick, being among Detroit's top passing options.
With three games remaining on Detroit's schedule, he's nearing the NFL record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end. The mark is currently held by Mike Ditka, who set the record for the Chicago Bears in 1961.
"Everybody grows at different rates. Some of them, it does happen fast, some of them, it’s late in the year, some of them, it’s year two, some of it is year three, which we’re seeing with a couple of our guys right now," said Campbell. "And so, no, but I think, overall, that vision was going to be where he is. That was what we, we saw a complete tight end that had a ton of versatility. And no, it’s come on pretty quick.”
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