The Index · Live

Sam LaPorta Detroit Lions · #87

Tight End · 6' 3", 245 lbs · Highland, IL · Age 25

Sam LaPorta is a Tight End for the Detroit Lions, drafted 34th overall, 2023. In 2026 he caught 22 passes for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Detroit Lions roster More Tight Ends

Tight EndDrafted 34th overall4-yr veteran

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Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Detroit Lions · #87 · Tight End

Sam LaPorta

Season avg22 rec · 228 yds · 2 td

Career avg208 rec · 2,332 yds · 22 td

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

22rec

228yds

2td

LADDER#71 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXSam LaPorta · Detroit LionsLADDER#71 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXSam LaPorta · Detroit Lions

Scouting report

Sam LaPorta — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

Tight End · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Sam LaPorta is a Tight End for the Detroit Lions, drafted 34th overall, 2023. In 2026 he caught 22 passes for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns.

A+

Receiving

B+

Big-play

Scoring

A+

Receiving yards

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

A+

Volume

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

Scoring

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

B+

Big-play

Excellent · offense

tap for the data ↓

A+

Target share

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Sam LaPorta stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬

29%

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬

23%

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬

22%

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬

11%

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #22 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

240Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Sam LaPorta — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

A+

Receiving

228 YDS

drill in ↓

A+

Volume

22 REC

drill in ↓

B+

Big-play

10.4 Y/R

drill in ↓

A+

Scoring

2 TD

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Sam LaPorta

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2027 modeled

rec

20–50

406

rec yds

207–605

1–5

targets

27–67

games

3–12

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 4-season history below.

What moves the rec line vs last season

Last season 22 → projected 35 rec

Baseline (recency-weighted)

+12.3

Age curve

+0.7

Net vs last season+13.0 rec

Everything it reads

📊

4 seasons of real box production

every game line, verified

real

⚖

Recency × games weight

recent, healthy years anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Year-over-year trend

his own trajectory, season to season

+dev

🕰

Position aging curve

age 25 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 16 / 9 / 4

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Sam LaPorta career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Rec	Yds	TD	Tgt	Y/R
2023	17	86	889	10	120	10.3
2024	16	60	726	7	83	12.1
2025	9	40	489	3	49	12.2
2026 in progress · 4 games	4	22	228	2	32	10.4
Career	46	208	2,332	22	284

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Juwan Johnson 99%Mike Gesicki 99%Travis Kelce 99%Dalton Kincaid 99%George Kittle 98%Isaiah Likely 98%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the Detroit Lions built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

12–5proj record

91off index

99def index

+56net

95%playoff odds

61roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades A (91), defense A+ (99) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 86, pass rush 99, coverage 99.

How his role moves

Projected 12–5 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Sam LaPorta

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

2001-01-12

The beginning

Sam LaPorta is a Tight End for the Detroit Lions, in his 4th NFL season.

Detroit Lions

Turning pro

Drafted 34th overall, 2023 as a Tight End.

true

Sam LaPorta is a Detroit Lions tight end, drafted 34th overall, 2023.

Chapter

Across 4 seasons (2023–2026) he has caught 208 passes for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Chapter

Most recently he caught 22 passes for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2026.

▶

LaPorta's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Sam LaPorta Top Plays of the 2023 Season ▶ 94: Sam LaPorta (TE, Lions) | Top 100 Players of 2025 ▶ Sam LaPorta are you SERIOUS?!▶ SAM LAPORTA WIDE OPEN FOR THE TD

Off the field

Measurables

Active

Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 245 lbs
Draft: 34th overall, 2023
Born: Highland, IL
Age: 25
Jersey: #87

Background

Sam LaPorta is from Highland, IL and is 25 years old. He was drafted 34th overall, 2023 and plays tight end at 6' 3", 245 lbs.

Over 4 seasons (2023–2026) he has caught 208 passes for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns. LaPorta is currently on the Detroit Lions roster.

The person

Sam LaPorta is a starting tight end who has caught 208 passes for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns across 4 seasons (2023–2026).

Receiving208 career receptions for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Best season86 catches for 889 yards in 2023.

Draft pedigree34th overall, 2023.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN ESPN ESPN

FAQ

Sam LaPorta — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Sam LaPorta, answered.

What position does Sam LaPorta play?

Sam LaPorta is a Tight End for the Detroit Lions.

When was Sam LaPorta drafted?

Sam LaPorta was drafted 34th overall, 2023.

How many seasons has Sam LaPorta played?

4 (2023–2026).

What are Sam LaPorta's career stats?

He has caught 208 passes for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Sam LaPorta career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.

Sam LaPorta Detroit Lions · #87

Sam LaPorta — the report card

Where Sam LaPorta stands

Sam LaPorta — every number, three levels deep

How the model sees Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta career stats, season by season

The Lab

Are the Detroit Lions built to win?

The Ballad of Sam LaPorta

The beginning

Turning pro

true

Chapter

Chapter

Off the field

Sam LaPorta — frequently asked

Current role & opportunity

Weekly matchups

Injury history

More Detroit Lions players

Sam LaPorta head-to-head

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