Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Passes NFL Superstar with Major Milestone

A former Iowa Hawkeyes star passed an NFL superstar by reaching a major milestone.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) celebrates a first down against Green Bay Packers during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes have quite a few former stars playing in the NFL this season. One of them is Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.

Iowa has become a tight end factory for the NFL in recent years. Names like George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and LaPorta have all found massive success at the professional level.

Looking closer at LaPorta, he accomplished something major recently.

Last week against the Chicago Bears, LaPorta passed former NFL superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski with a huge milestone. He passed Gronkowski on the list of most receptions recorded by a tight end in their first two seasons.

Even though LaPorta has not had as big of a season statistically in his second year as he did as a rookie, he has been a huge part of the Lions' major success this season. He has still up quality numbers.

In 14 games this season, he has racked up 47 receptions for 599 yards and six touchdowns. Back in his rookie year, he totaled 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Seeing him put up these numbers is no surprise for Hawkeyes fans. They knew that he was going to be a special NFL player.

During his college career in four years at Iowa, LaPorta racked up 153 receptions for 1,786 yards and five touchdowns. He may not have been the most productive tight end in the NFL, but his potential was clear.

Now, he has become one of the top up-and-coming young tight ends in the league.

Being able to pass Gronkowski in any milestone is impressive. Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends that the NFL has ever seen. LaPorta's career trajectory is looking very favorable for him to have a shot at becoming a superstar long-term.

Hopefully, he will continue playing at the level that he has shown in his first two years. As always, Hawkeyes fans will continue rooting on their former players and LaPorta is still very well loved in Iowa.