Detroit Lions know ‘what kind of player you’re getting’ when drafting Hawkeyes like Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell

Former Iowa standout Sam LaPorta’s versatility helped differentiate him in crowded tight end class

Apr. 29, 2023 2:23 pm

Iowa tight end Sam Laporta runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) — Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

IOWA CITY — NFL personnel kept on asking Sam LaPorta which Iowa teammate he would like to bring with him to his next team.

“I kept saying, ‘Jack Campbell, Jack Campbell,’” LaPorta said. “Phenomenal football player, even better human.”

LaPorta’s wish was granted when the Lions drafted him with the 34th overall pick a day after taking Campbell with the 18th overall pick.

Iowa’s NFL reputation under head coach Kirk Ferentz, while far from the only reason, seemed to be a key factor in making the LaPorta-Campbell reunion happen.

“Like I was saying about Coach (Nick) Saban, you just kind of know what kind of player you’re getting,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said. “Coming from an established program like Iowa, like Alabama, we don’t do that intentionally, but they just happen to produce some really good football players.”

Ferentz is among the head college football coaches who have experience on NFL sidelines.

“You know that you’re getting probably a kid that’s got a little bit higher floor,” Holmes said of prospects who learned from coaches with NFL backgrounds.

Iowa was one of seven schools to have at least four players picked in the first three rounds of this year’s NFL Draft. The others were Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia.

The Hawkeyes’ NFL reputation aside, LaPorta’s versatility was a selling point for the Lions.

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“He can play a lot of different positions,” Holmes said. “He can align in a lot of different spots. He can do it in-line. I really like his urgency and willingness in the run game.”

LaPorta, at 6-foot-3, has a different body type from the last former Iowa tight end to be a Lion — 6-foot-5 T.J. Hockenson.

“He’s not the biggest guy,” Holmes said. “He’s not a 6-5, 250 guy, but he plays a lot bigger in-line than what you’d think.”

LaPorta was the second of nine tight ends selected in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft.

“This was a good tight end class,” Holmes said. “It really was this year, but he just really stood out to me.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com