The Lions took T.J. Hockenson out of Iowa with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft, traded him to the Vikings last year, and went right back to that esteemed tight end pipeline with their third pick in 2023. LaPorta would have been talked about a lot more in a more functional offense, but the fact that he was able to do a lot in the Hawkeyes’ “Three-and-Out” stuff indicates that he’ll be a real winner right away in Ben Johnson’s multi-faceted schemes.
