The Detroit Lions received mixed reviews after their 2023 NFL Draft after taking players many people believed either too early or the positional value argument. General manager Brad Holmes did not care what you had in your mock drafts or what ranking you had. He was going to take football players that fit with Detroit’s culture, and that was the end of it.
With the release of “Inside the Den,” we saw the interworkings of the Lions war room throughout the 2023 NFL Draft. It was fun to watch how Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell constantly communicated on which direction or player they may be targeting. One of them was Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta, who the Lions highly touted throughout the draft process.
On the other side of “Inside the Den,” we got to go behind the scenes of the combined interviews with the Lion’s drafted players. When LaPorta was drafted, he mentioned he had a memorable combined interview with Dan Campbell. I was very interested to see that interview in “Inside the Den,” which did not disappoint.
Right from the get-go, LaPorta showed self-awareness for improvement when asked about his hands. Even though he rated them an eight, he mentioned that he might need to improve his highballing. Well, so far through training camp, it sure looks like he has worked on that area. Also, after he started learning the system, he mentioned that looking back at the interview and putting everything together made sense for those particular questions.
Throughout the interview, Coach Campbell got a feel for what LaPorta can bring to the table for the Lions organization. As many of you know, Campbell dabbled in that area a little bit. Campbell asked LaPorta if he felt like a complete tight end, and he did not miss a beat with the answer.
“I think I’m extremely versatile. I think I’m tough enough to stick my nose in but also finesse enough to get open and create separation,” LaPorta said.
He also mentioned he loves physically dominating someone when he was asked about run blocking from Coach Campbell earlier in the interview.
The separation statement caught my attention. It has been well documented that the Lions have needed help creating separation in certain aspects of the field. Surely, the Lions were looking to remedy that situation, and so far through training camp, it looks like he is living up to the billet while becoming a security blanket for Jared Goff.
LaPorta has created a lot of buzz throughout training camp, and it is easy to see why the Lions took a liking to the former Hawkeye. He is running away to becoming TE1 for the Lions and should see a starting role heading into the season. While we can see him shine with the on-field performances, in the background, he is doing the same and shouldn’t be shocked when tight ends coach Steve Heiden asked why the coach should draft you.
“I’m a locker room guy. I think I mesh well with really any locker room. Not to mention that I’m a good football player too. You ain’t gonna have no problems with me.”
