Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta made a bit of history during Detroit's Thursday evening road game against the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. The Lions' offense, quarterbacked by Jared Goff and supplemented by LaPorta, got off to a dominant start to the contest, eventually taking a 27-3 lead into halftime.

With a reception in the first half on Thursday, LaPorta made NFL history by recording the most receptions by a tight end through their first four career games since at least 1950, per ESPN Stats & Info. LaPorta has pulled in 22 receptions thus far in 2023. The only tight end with more receiving yards than LaPorta during that time frame was Mike Ditka, who had 315 yards.

LaPorta figures to play a large role for what Lions fans hope is a dominant offense in 2023.

LaPorta was raised in Illinois and attended the University of Iowa for his college career. During his career with the Hawkeyes, LaPorta finished 14th in career receiving yards in school history with 1786, as well as ranking first among Iowa tight ends in receptions and second in yards in school history.

LaPorta then declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, where he was selected with the 34th overall pick by the Lions in the second round. The 22-year-old's first career touchdown reception occurred last week against the Atlanta Falcons, when LaPorta hauled in a 45-yard pass from Jared Goff and ran it into the end zone.

With LaPorta complementing an array of receiving talent including players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions figure to have one of the premiere airel assaults in the NFL this season.