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Sam LaPorta on pace to top 90 catches, most ever by a rookie tight end

Detroit's Sam LaPorta is catching passes like no other rookie tight end in NFL history.

Through 12 games this season, LaPorta has 64 catches, which puts him on pace for 91 in a 17-game season. No rookie tight end has ever done that before.

The rookie record is held by Keith Jackson, who had 81 catches in 1988 with the Eagles. Behind Jackson are Jeremy Shockey, who had 74 catches with the 2002 Giants, and Kyle Pitts, who had 68 with the 2021 Falcons.

The Lions have made LaPorta a focal point of their passing game, and they have to be very pleased with the production of their second-round rookie.