Iowa
The Cowboys could be in the market for a tight end, and this draft prospects has high upside.
Cowboys draft prospects scouting reviews for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Title: Sam LaPorta
Place: TE
Top: 6’4”
Weight: 249 kilos
Sam LaPorta is hardly the primary tight finish popping out of Iowa to catch NFL scouts’ consideration. Among the names which have preceded him embody Dallas Clark, Scott Chandler, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, and George Kittle. That’s fairly the checklist.
With that in thoughts, then, it’s wildly spectacular to assume that LaPorta completed his faculty profession with extra receptions and yards than some other Iowa tight finish in historical past. After breaking down his movie, it’s simple to see how he was in a position to accomplish such a feat.
LaPorta is a extremely spectacular participant who simply so occurs to be in a really loaded tight finish class this 12 months. That complicates his draft inventory, with most projections at the moment having him as a second- or third-round prospect. However his expertise is sure to make him appear to be a steal.
Receiving Capacity: That is LaPorta’s calling card. He’s a harmful risk as a receiver, as evidenced by his record-setting manufacturing in an offense that struggled mightily within the go recreation. He was third amongst all tight ends in yards after the catch this previous 12 months, and led all tight ends in damaged tackles with 20; the truth is, that determine ranks fifth amongst all tight ends over the past decade. LaPorta is a superb receiving tight finish who can thrive each as a catch-and-run machine or as a risk down the seam of a protection.
Fingers: The factor that separates LaPorta most from the highest tight ends on this class are his fingers, that are simply common. Drops are an issue, and he dropped 9.4% of his targets this previous 12 months, the fourth highest charge amongst tight ends. That’s regarding, however the silver lining is that he was nonetheless in a position to dominate with that concern. If he can turn into extra constant on the catch level, consider how harmful he can turn into.
Route Working: LaPorta is an skilled, nuanced route runner. He’s very exact in the best way he runs his routes, and does an amazing job of breaking with such suddenness that he loses his defender. Simply 37.5% of LaPorta’s receptions final 12 months had been contested; solely three tight ends had a decrease charge than that, a testomony to his capacity to get open.
Blocking: He has a large enough body to operate as a adequate blocker, and he performs with a willingness to take action as nicely. That lands his blocking capacity in “adequate” territory, which groups can stay with when there’s as a lot receiving manufacturing as LaPorta affords. Nonetheless, greater defenders can overpower him simply, and higher blocking strategies might assist him evolve considerably on this regard.
Athleticism: LaPorta is a stable athlete, however not a lot that he’ll blow anybody away along with his athletic testing. He’s doubtless within the above common space when it comes to athleticism for a decent finish, and it clearly didn’t have an effect on his capacity to rack up yards after the catch.
Dimension: LaPorta has good dimension and a great body for the place, although he’s not large enough to qualify as a dimension mismatch. He makes use of his dimension nicely within the passing lanes, although, and as a runner after the catch. Some tight ends battle to make the most of their dimension, however that’s not a priority for him.
Intangibles: LaPorta is a mannequin teammate within the locker room. Iowa gave him the Workforce Hustle award in 2021 earlier than naming him their Offensive MVP in 2022. He was additionally named a group captain this previous 12 months, on high of an extended checklist of educational honors. He comes with 4 full years of expertise and led the group in receptions three of these years. His mixture of management and veteran savvy was noticeable this previous 12 months.
Week 6 of the 2024 Iowa high school football season has wrapped up, and High School on SI is continuing its weekly computer rankings for the season.
The Dowling Maroons kept their top five placing in this week’s 5A Iowa computer rankings after a thrilling 41-35 victory over Ankeny Centennial. They face a strong Urbandale team on Friday, to keep their momentum going.
The top of the 5A computer rankings stay the same this week as the Bettendorf Bulldogs take home another win, this time defeating Kennedy 33-14. The Bulldogs look forward to Friday, where they will travel to Davenport Central in hopes to hold their place in the standings.
SBLive’s formula was created using its linear algebra-based ranking algorithm inspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.
- FAQ: SBLive High School Football Computer Rankings
Here are SBLive’s latest Iowa football computer rankings, as of Oct. 7, 2024:
IOWA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COMPUTER RANKINGS
CLASS 5A | CLASS 4A
CLASS 3A | CLASS 2A
CLASS 1A | CLASS A
CLASS 8 MAN
DOWNLOAD THE SBLIVE APP
To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports
JELD-WEN, a manufacturer of windows and doors in Grinnell, has announced it will be laying off 152 workers effective Nov. 7.
The announcement was made on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) site.
The company, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was founded in 1960 and has 18,000 employees, with operating facilities in 16 countries in North America and Europe with 2023 sales of $4.3 billion, according to the company’s website.
JELD-WEN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, JELD-WEN announced the closing of its Hawkins, Wisconsin facility, affecting 338 employees, and in Vista, California, resulting in the loss of 110 jobs.
The Iowa Hawkeyes lost two players from their football team this week.
Both running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Kaleb Brown have announced that they will redshirt for the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year.
Despite the two players opting to leave the program, it hasn’t phased head coach Kirk Ferentz. He isn’t worried about the decisions that they made at all.
When asked about Williams and Brown transferring, Ferentz offered a short and brutal quote.
“Not to be callous, but if a player isn’t playing, you don’t lose much.”
Williams had been dealing with an injury throughout the season thus far. Before the injury, he had shown flashes of being a player that could end up making an impact. Unfortunately, those flashes were never able to come to light on the field.
As for Brown, there were big plans for him coming into the season. But, he was suspended for the first game of the year and was never able to earn his role back.
Clearly, Ferentz is not worried about how his team will respond to the news. Basically, he doesn’t think the losses of them will impact the team at all.
Ferentz isn’t necessarily wrong with what he stated. Neither player had a role that will change how the team has been operating. However, it was the way he said it that was a bit out of line.
Regardless of the role that they players had, handling the situation with a bit more grace would have been a better look.
All of that being said, Iowa is not a program that needs to be graceful necessarily. The Hawkeyes want to win football games and neither Williams or Brown was contributing to that goal so far this year.
Looking ahead to the future, we wish the best to both Williams and Brown. Hopefully, they find success in their future endeavors.
Amid child sex abuse by North Texas clergy and caregivers, don’t overlook these predators
Black Desert Championship Tees Off Amid Utah’s Pro Sports Surge
Karl Lindholm: From Patty to Keegan to Lucas — Vermont golfers prevail – Addison Independent
Tight race looms in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District as Anderson and Vindman face off • Virginia Mercury
Taylor Lorenz leaves 'Washington Post' after rift with editors
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Cross-Tabs: October 2024 Times/Siena Poll of the Likely Electorate in Montana
Haitian migration into US becomes major political issue as election looms
Orbán's main foe Magyar talks corruption, Ukraine and government fight
Some students are fighting to stay in college after the FAFSA delayed financial aid
VP Harris covers mouth, says ‘it’s a live broadcast’ after stumbling through Hurricane Milton speech
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25439572/VRG_TEC_Textless.jpg "Charter will offer Peacock for free with some cable subscriptions next year")
Technology1 week agoCharter will offer Peacock for free with some cable subscriptions next year
-
World7 days agoUkrainian stronghold Vuhledar falls to Russian offensive after two years of bombardment
-
World1 week agoWikiLeaks’ Julian Assange says he pleaded ‘guilty to journalism’ in order to be freed
-
Technology6 days agoBeware of fraudsters posing as government officials trying to steal your cash
-
Health5 days agoHealth, happiness and helping others are vital parts of free and responsible society, Founding Fathers taught
-
Virginia1 week agoStatus for Daniels and Green still uncertain for this week against Virginia Tech; Reuben done for season
-
Sports5 days agoFreddie Freeman says his ankle sprain is worst injury he's ever tried to play through
-
News5 days agoLebanon says 50 medics killed in past three days as Israel extends its bombardment