ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions had a slew of selections entering the NFL draft and took advantage of those assets Friday night — and they may have found their quarterback of the future in Tennessee's Hendon Hooker.
Detroit traded up in the second round and made two deals to move down in exchange for extra picks.
The Lions selected Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta No. 34 overall, traded up to take Alabama safety Brian Branch with the 45th pick and then got Hooker early in the third round.
Detroit acquired the pick it used to take LaPorta as part of a trade with Arizona on Thursday that gave the Cardinals the No. 6 pick overall.
The Lions used the No. 48 overall pick and a fifth-rounder to move up a few slots in a trade with Green Bay to put Branch in their revamped secondary. They later traded pick No. 55 to Kansas City in a deal that gave them the last pick in the second round and dealt that selection to Denver for the 68th pick overall.
The Lions used that pick on Hooker, who can develop behind starter Jared Goff.
The 25-year-old Hooker tore the ACL in his left knee less than five months ago. Hooker, the 2022 Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, spent three years at Virginia Tech before finishing his college career with two seasons at Tennessee.
LaPorta said he matches up well with the former Hawkeyes who play, or have played, the position in the NFL, such as Hockenson and Dallas Clark.
“I feel like I'm right up there,” said LaPorta, who watched the draft with family and friends in his hometown of Highland, Illinois.
LaPorta had 153 career catches for 1,786 yards, ranking first in receptions and second in yards for a tight end in school history.
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes was active early in free agency, signing veterans such as Cameron Sutton to improve one of the league’s worst defenses, and Branch should bolster the secondary even more. The All-America defensive back from Fayetteville, Georgia, was one of two players in major college football to defend at least 20 passes and have four sacks over the previous three seasons.
Detroit also signed running back David Montgomery and receiver Marvin Jones this offseason to join one of the NFL’s top offenses, which now includes LaPorta and Hooker.
The Lions had a pair of selections in the first round, trading down to draft Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 and taking Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Campbell six slots later.
Detroit is hoping rookies bolster its chances of living up to relatively high expectations for a franchise that has been a league laughingstock for decades. The Lions won eight of their final 10 games last season and finished above .500 for the first time since 2017.
“We’re about to turn the corner here and you’re going to be a big part of it,” coach Dan Campbell told Jack Campbell on the phone after Detroit drafted the Butkus Award winner.
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