Sam LaPorta was walking up the tunnel and taking in a replay of his first NFL touchdown after the Lions' win over the Falcons when Jared Goff caught him from behind. Goff leaned over LaPorta's shoulder to watch on the phone in LaPorta's hand, the two of them moving in unison, and said, "The first of many for The Kid!"
"I thought I was gonna drop it," LaPorta laughed. "That thing hung in the air for like 15 seconds. I was like, 'Please come down!'"
When it did 45 yards later, LaPorta secured the catch, because of course, and strode into the end zone without a defender in sight -- and in clear view of his family, who happened to be screaming in the section in front of him. LaPorta, not really knowing how to celebrate or what to do with the ball, said, "I spun it like an idiot." Someone threw it back to him, so LaPorta caught it again. He called the whole thing "a blur." Fellow tight end James Mitchell had to remind LaPorta to keep the souvenir.
"James was running on the field like, 'Go get the ball, go get the ball!'" said LaPorta. "I’m gonna go ask for it right now and see where it’s at. Hopefully they got it back there."
LaPorta is turning into LaProblem(?). He became the first tight end in NFL history to catch five passes in each of his first two games, then caught eight more for 84 yards in the Lions' 20-6 romp of the Falcons. Now he's the first tight end in NFL history with 18 catches through his first three games. Three laps into the season, LaPorta is pacing his position with 186 receiving yards. T.J. Hockenson, the player LaPorta replaced in Detroit, ranks second.
Hockenson just signed a record-breaking contract with the Vikings that will pay him $16.5 million per year starting next season. LaPorta, the No. 34 pick this year, will make about $2.5 million per year over the next four seasons in Detroit.
"The Kid’s playing pretty good right now and I told the staff yesterday, he’s just quietly getting better and better and better," said Dan Campbell. "I don’t know how quiet it is anymore. He’s beginning to take off.”
The rookie has been rising since he arrived in Allen Park. It took him all of a few spring practices to become the Lions' No. 1 tight end, and only a few more days in camp to emerge as one of Goff's favorite targets. Goff threw 11 passes to LaPorta in Week 3, trailing only the 12 he threw to Amon-Ra St. Brown. It was after one of St. Brown's breakout games as a rookie that Goff was so sure of his new receiver he kept repeating, "He's a stud, he's a stud, he's a stud." As if he said it enough times we might finally listen.
Listen to Goff on Sunday, asked about LaPorta: "He's a stud, he's a stud."
And when did Goff know this?
“The first day when he was at OTA's probably."
Thinking back to the spring on Sunday, LaPorta said, "I felt like I was getting force-fed a lot of information." He received it well, putting in the extra hours inside and outside the facility to digest everything on his plate. There's always another serving for a rookie tight end. LaPorta admitted it was "kind of overwhelming," but "good at the same time." He knew the Lions trusted him.
"I felt like they had a lot of faith and confidence in me, which is a great feeling as a player. When your coaches have confidence in you, you can go out there and execute," he said. "By the time I came back for fall camp, I felt like I had a good grasp of the playbook -- always learning, but had a good grasp -- and felt like they were trying to incorporate me. I guess that’s when I felt (I could make an impact)."
A product of Iowa's tight end factory, LaPorta has a precocious feel for the game. He knows how to get open, and he has the strength to make catches even when he's not. He also rumbles with the ball -- a welcome change from Hockenson, who more often tumbles. Nearly half of LaPorta's yards thus far have come after the catch. And half of his 18 catches -- second among tight ends to Hockenson, who's still a darn good player -- have gone for first downs.
"A lot of that is because he's built that trust with Goff," said Campbell.
"For me personally," said Goff, "he does a great job in the route progression. I think the most exciting part about him, and I’m sure he’d say this, is he’s not even playing as well as he really could. There’s still some little rookie things that happen here or there. The sky’s the limit for him. It’s going to be fun to play with him for hopefully a long time.”
When his brow isn't furrowed and his neck isn't bowed, LaPorta's face is plastered with a smile. He's 22 years old and playing football for a living. At times, he almost sounds sheepish for making the NFL look easier than it is. Part of LaPorta really thought was going to drop the easiest touchdown of his life. He said he's never been so open down the field and sounded genuinely relieved when he admitted, "Glad I made the catch." Asked about the historic start to his career, LaPorta smiled again, credited his teammates and said, "Spread the ball around, spread the love."
Before LaPorta left the locker room Sunday afternoon, an equipment manager approached him with the touchdown ball. They had, indeed, been keeping it in the back. The two of them slapped hands, and LaPorta was pumped about the perfect contact: "That dap felt good!" Then he grabbed his bags with one hand and palmed the ball in the other, beaming as he walked out the door.