Sam LaPorta has had a fantastic start to his NFL career, but one analyst believes the best may still be to come.
Over at FTN Fantasy, writer Daniel Kelley made three predictions for the Lions with a focus on fantasy football. He believes Jared Goff is a sleeper, Jameson Williams may disappoint, and a bold prediction. That bold prediction: LaPorta has a career-high in receiving yards.
Thus far, LaPorta has posted three very strong seasons in the NFL, but each year, his production has dropped. He had 86 catches, 889 yards, and 10 touchdowns his rookie season. LaPorta follwed that up with 60 catches, 736 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. Then, because of an injury-shortened season, he managed 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Kelley believes there are numbers to indicate that LaPorta’s productivity has actually improved throughout his career, and as long as he can put together a full, healthy season, everything is lined up for a career season.
“LaPorta’s rookie year being his best year is almost entirely a product of two things: Playing time and touchdowns,” Kelley wrote. “That rookie year was his only year playing all 17 games. And with the very known caveat that when you lower the denominator, it becomes that much easier for an average to look better, let’s look at his numbers on a rate basis…”
Kelley then outlines three fascinating stats that show 2025 may have been LaPorta’s best season had he played the entire year. He set career highs in yards per game (54.3), yards per target (10.0), and yards per route run (1.8).
On top of that, the Lions’ offense will be run by new coordinator Drew Petzing, who helped tight end Trey McBride produce back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Cardinals in the past two years.
Obviously, LaPorta is still recovering from his back injury, but all signs seem to indicate he’ll be ready for training camp. And as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, everything is in place for him to have a monster year in 2026.
On to the rest of Wednesday’s Notes;
Over on The Feed, AttilaTheHun makes a prediction that linebacker Erick Hunter becomes a Year 1 special team and could develop into box safety a la Nick Emmanwori.
Erick Hunter propaganda Unicorn
Erick Hunter fits the mold of a Nick Emmanwori, Kyle Hamilton, Derwin James, or Josh Metellus for the Detroit Lions. I hope the coaching staff recognizes his potential as clearly as I do. I envision him starting on special teams before making a late-season impact—similar to Ifeatu Melifonwu’s breakout in 2023—serving as a "Big Nickel" star, a hybrid linebacker/safety capable of both coverage and blitzing.
Many overlook his impressive measurables: a 6'2", 220-pound frame with 33-inch arms and 10-inch hands. When paired with 4.5 speed and a high football IQ, he becomes a "unicorn" prospect. His athletic background is extensive; in high school, he played quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive end, while also excelling in basketball. Furthermore, he was a track-and-field standout, winning a 400m relay state championship in 2021. With his elite length and versatility, Hunter has the potential to be a positionless defensive weapon.
Detroit needs to create a specialized "three-safety" look where he acts as an absolute Swiss Army Knife—blitzing off the edge, playing deep halves, or locking down the slot.
Hunter has the opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals like Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph—who shares his impressive length—and Chuck Clark, who provides veteran leadership and the ability to diagnose offenses before the snap. While you cannot teach raw athleticism and length, Hunter possesses the character and work ethic necessary to maximize his potential.
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Thought this was an interesting perspective on the Terrion Arnold situation from Albert Breer and Conor Orr. They believe this situation is unprecedented and are not sure if he’ll play football this year. In their words: “All eyes are on the commissioner.”
I’ll be completely honest: there isn’t a lot new or revelatory here, but Amon-Ra St. Brown spoke with NFL Network on Tuesday about his offseason, upcoming training camp, and Drew Petzing. St. Brown is so media trained that the answers are pretty boilerplate, but if you’re starved for content, it’s a quick watch:
How will the Lions’ linebacker room adapt without Alex Anzalone? Justin Rogers looks closer in his linebacker training camp preview.
Part two of a fun video series: Lions players describe their teammates with one word. Pay close attention to Jahmyr Gibbs’ answer for Brian Branch—a truly savage response: