Steve Heiden is one of the new faces on the Detroit Lions coaching staff. Heiden is the team’s new tight ends coach, coming over to join Detroit after several seasons in that capacity with the Arizona Cardinals.
He’s charged with developing another new face in Detroit, second-round rookie Sam LaPorta. Heiden played tight end in the NFL for a decade, just as head coach Dna Campbell also did. So far, Heiden likes what he’s seen from LaPorta through OTAs and minicamp.
“I think the biggest thing is to just try and put him in as many positions as possible,” Heiden said Monday of the rookie from Iowa. “That includes in the classroom, showing on film what can go on. But … it’s really about getting out here, getting on the field. Feeling the speed of the game, you know, learning on the field, on the grass. That’s the best way to go about it.”
Or, as Heiden summarized,
“Throw him out there, feet to the fire and let’s go.”
The Lions have done just that. In the sessions open to the media, LaPorta has taken a lot of reps from both the inline and slot TE positions. He even took a few snaps as the X-receiver in some 2-TE sets and could have been easily mistaken for a big wideout. Without pads, blocking has not been ready to evaluate, but LaPorta’s receiving skills look impressive.
Heiden added that he’s been “pleasantly surprised” with the instinctive nature LaPorta has shown thus far.
