Cowboys TE Targets: Has 'Kittle 2.0' Sam LaPorta Moved Up On NFL Draft Board?

There is media buzz from here inside The Star that is suddenly mentioning Iowa's Sam LaPorta as a candidate to be among the Cowboys' premium tight end choices.

FRISCO - One of the reasons the Dallas Cowboys are considering using a premium pick on a tight end in this year's NFL Draft? The "class'' of the class at the tight end, which is regarded as one of the deepest ones ever.

Indeed, there may be as many as 10 prospects who will give their new team cause for celebration when their names are announced in late April. And suddenly, two names seem to be rising here on Draft Night at The Star.

One name comes from a couple of national media people, and that guy is Oregon State's Luke Musgrave. 

The other comes from DFW media mentions, with Jane Slater of NFL Network and Clarence Hill of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram mentioning Iowa's Sam LaPorta.

For comps? Musgrave can maybe do some "Kelce things.'' And LaPorta - praised for his YAC ability - draws the "Kittle-like'' mentions.

ESPN media scout Matt Miller has offered up a ranking of those 10, many of whom are clearly on the Dallas radar. Miller has named Michael Mayer his top tight end for 2023, having slotted the 6-4, 250-pound Notre Same pass-catcher ahead of Utah's Dalton Kincaid, Georgia's Darnell Washington and then Oregon State's Musgrave.

The Cowboys have gotten to know most of these guys as they search for, as a source tells CowboysSI.com, "their version of Travis Kelce.'' So why not Musgrave? Or, in terms of style of play, Mayer - the all-time leader for receptions by a tight end in Notre Dame history as he hauled in 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns in 36 games for the Fighting Irish - may be more of a "Gronk/Witten'' Why not that?

Washington (a Dallas 30 Visit invitee) is the one who has freakish traits that make comps difficult. But suddenly LaPorta is the guy creating local buzz in Frisco.

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