When the NFL Draft took place last spring, the Detroit Lions received some criticism for what people thought were some questionable picks. However, the Lions proved again that they know best as their rookie draft class has been terrific to begin the season. They helped the Lions achieve their best start in over 10 years, and Detroit is currently 4-1 on the season while looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

One rookie that has been outstanding so far for the Lions is tight end Sam LaPorta. LaPorta played his college football at Iowa, and there's just something in the water for those Hawkeye TEs. Through five games of his NFL career, LaPorta has 25 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He's off to a great start, but he has been dealing with a calf injury.

Luckily for the Lions, Sam LaPorta plans to play in Sunday's game on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to a report from NBC Sports. Detroit is already dealing with a lot of injury trouble to key players, so this is great news. Hopefully LaPorta can stay healthy as the Lions certainly don't need any more players missing time because of an injury.

At this point, it seems like the only thing that would slow this Lions team down is the injury bug. The team is firing on all cylinders right now, but it seems like another key player goes down every week. LaPorta's injury will definitely be a big one to keep an eye on, but it's great news for the Lions that he plans to play on Sunday.