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Sam LaPorta, Frank Ragnow among 5 Detroit Lions picked for Pro Bowl
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- Sam LaPorta, Frank Ragnow among 5 Detroit Lions picked for Pro Bowl
Sam LaPorta 's historical season just got better.
LaPorta , the Detroit Lions rookie tight end, is one of five Lions who were selected to the NFC Pro Bowl roster on the original ballot Wednesday.
Right tackle Penei Sewell , center Frank Ragnow , defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and special teams player Jalen Reeves-Maybin also earned Pro Bowl nods, and the Lions have seven alternates for the game.
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A second-round pick out of Iowa, LaPorta ranks second on the Lions with 81 catches and 860 yards receiving. He needs one catch in Sunday's season finale against the Minnesota Vikings to break Keith Jackson's all-time rookie tight end receptions record , set in 1988.
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Lions tight end Sam LaPorta runs against Cowboys safety Markquese Bell during the second half of the Lions' 20-19 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
"It's not easy all that he's been able to do to grasp and produce this fast, in all the areas, honestly," Lions coach Dan Campbell said last month. "I mean, I just go back to this, his run blocking and pass blocking has improved significantly on top of what everybody sees, the catches, the routes, the run after catch.
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"You would love to say that every rookie's going to come in and fill that vision immediately, but that's not the reality, that's not the truth."
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The Lions (11-5) have a chance to tie their franchise record for most wins in a season Sunday, and their five Pro Bowl selections are their most since 2014 and tied for the second-most in the Super Bowl era. In 1991, the only time the Lions won 12 games in the regular season, they had six Pro Bowl selections.
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It's possible the Lions tie or surpass that number in the coming weeks as players pull out of the games because of injury or with their team still in the playoffs. Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are first alternates for the game, and quarterback Jared Goff (second), left guard Jonah Jackson (third), running back David Montgomery (fourth), return man Kalif Raymond (fourth) and linebacker Alex Anzalone (fifth) also are alternates.
In 1954, the Lions sent eight players to the Pro Bowl.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff, left, shakes hands with center Frank Ragnow before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Inglewood, California.
Last year, the Lions had one player picked for the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, Ragnow, and three others (Goff, Sewell, and St. Brown) who went as alternates.
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Ragnow, who has played through toe and calf injuries this season, was named to the Pro Bowl for the third time in four seasons, Sewell is a two-time Pro Bowler and the rest of the Lions will be making their first trip to the NFL's annual all-star week.
Hutchinson leads the Lions with 9.5 sacks, while Reeves-Maybin is tied for the NFL lead with 13 special teams tackles and completed a pass on a fake punt last week against the Dallas Cowboys .
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions have 5 Pro Bowl selections, including rookie Sam LaPorta
