The Detroit Lions are hoping for a huge bounce-back year from standout tight end Sam LaPorta, who is coming off a season-ending back injury. Back injuries are a sensitive situation, as it's not clear how a player will look the following season.
Before he went down with the injury, LaPorta had 40 receptions (49 targets) for 489 yards and two TDs. The Lions are banking on LaPorta playing like a top-10 tight end as we saw in 2023 and 2024, especially with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing in the fold.
Petzing did wonders for Trey McBride over the last few seasons in Arizona, and there’s no reason why LaPorta can’t put himself in the same position.
Everything comes down to LaPorta's health at the end of the day. Detroit seems to be better prepared if LaPorta were to go down again this season, signing Tyler Conklin to a one-year deal. However, that hasn’t stopped the Lions from doing some homework on the tight end draft class, which is supposed to be good.
Tight end isn’t a top priority for the Lions, but with LaPorta’s back and potential contract decision, the Lions might need to keep an eye towards the future.
Lions Already Eyeing Sam LaPorta Insurance in the Draft
According to Arye Pulli of New Orleans Saints on SI, Detroit has “shown considerable interest” in Utah tight end Dallen Bentley. Pulli reports that the Saints have shown “significant” interest in the tight end prospect.
The Lions have not had a “30 visit” with any tight end prospects, but they reportedly held formal scouting combine interviews with tight ends Joe Royer, Tanner Koziol, and Marlin Klare (h/t Mike Payton of A to Z Sports).
The 6-foot-4 Bentley ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at the combine, but reportedly improved his time to an unofficial 4.5 seconds at this pro day, per Pulli. He wasn’t a huge factor as a receiving threat in his first two years at Utah, but surprised everyone with 48 receptions for 620 yards and six touchdowns this past season with the Utes.
Whenever a prospect has that one breakout year, it piques the interest of teams to see if there’s more to come or if it was an anomaly. If the Lions were to take Bentley in Day 2 or 3 of the draft, he would be another big target for quarterback Jared Goff, especially if Detroit wanted to run multiple tight end sets.
Bentley’s run blocking would need to improve, especially with the running game being a huge emphasis in Detroit. That said, whether it's Bentley or another tight end that the Lions drafted, it could provide an early answer on how Detroit feels about the overall position. The Lions’ brass likely hopes to pair someone with LaPorta for years to come, creating more matchup nightmares moving forward.
If LaPorta doesn’t return to form, and the Lions don’t give him an extension, they will have a cheaper option to become their TE1 when he reaches free agency next spring. Therefore, it's worth sitting back and seeing what the Lions do in the coming weeks with the draft on the horizon.