With the 34th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions have selected Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta.
Last year, the Lions traded T.J. Hockenson at the deadline. And while the Lions’ reserves—James Mitchell, Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra, held their own, it was clear the Lions wanted to upgrade the position. Now the Lions will replace one Iowa tight end with another.
LaPorta is the second tight end off the board in this draft, after a highly-productive four years at Iowa. Specifically, in the last two season, he tallied 1,327 yards and four touchdowns.