Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Lions rookie TE joins exclusive, Hall of Fame group

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/16/23

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta has already impressed in his first NFL season, but on Saturday vs. the Denver Broncos, he joined an incredibly exclusive group.

LaPorta surpassed 700 receiving yards while finding the endzone for the seventh and eighth times this season. Per Stathead, LaPorta is only the third tight end in history to record seven TDs and 700 yards in their rookie year, joining Hall of Famers Mike Ditka (1961) and John Mackey (1963).

Sam LaPorta makes a move and finds the end zone!

: #DENvsDET on @NFLNetwork
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/vtmfEKvOLy pic.twitter.com/mBw4Jmlvrn
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023

According to Next Gen Stats, LaPorta had only a 3.1 percent chance of scoring on the play, by far the most improbable of his young career.

Anotha one for @JaredGoff16 & @Samlaporta!#DENvsDET | NFL Network | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/5O99hBbhQg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 17, 2023

With three games remaining in the regular season, the 22-year-old has a shot at even more history. On Saturday, he passed Atlanta Falcons' Kyle Pitts (68) for the third-most receptions by a rookie tight end and is within striking distance of the record, with only Jeremey Shockley (74) and Keith Jackson (81) standing in his way.

His eight TD receptions tied the Lions single-season mark set by Jim Gibbons in 1964. Meanwhile, he's already tied for fourth all-time in receiving scores by a first-year TE, trailing only Junior Miller (9), Rob Gronkowski (10) and Ditka (12).

Selected 34th overall by the Lions in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the pick is paying huge dividends. Not only has LaPorta made Lions fans quickly forget about former Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson, but he's far exceeding expectations, making the future look even brighter.

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