Sam Laporta

A jack of all trades player limited by a struggling offense, LaPorta handled a variety of roles for Iowa. He finished 2022 with 53 catches (30 went for first downs), 592 yards and one touchdown. He had 6 drops and has a tendency to play with alligator arms at times.

The Hawkeyes used him everywhere from the backfield, inline, out wide, in the slot and on extra point and field goal teams. He’s regarded as a tough player, undergoing meniscus surgery after the regular season and still coming back to play in the team’s bowl game.

As a pass catcher, LaPorta is polished at getting open in the short areas of the field. He has surprising wiggle with the ball in his hands that makes defenders trying to break down miss.

LaPorta isn’t a knock out blocker, but he gets to his spots with ease that is highly effective in a zone scheme. He has experience as a lead blocking fullback too.

On tape this is a player that is at least average in all areas of the position, but his testing shows there is a bigger ceiling. With a 90th percentile forty (4.59), 90th percentile broad jump (123” and 88th percentile three cone (6.91), LaPorta might be the case of a college tight end that is more productive in the pros.