Breakout Player of the Year awarded by the Detroit Lions..
reasons why this season was historic, and the tragic conclusion will probably make it one that is never forgotten.
Let’s honor the good, nevertheless, for the time being, with our 2023 Pride of Detroit Awards. This is how it operates: There are ten categories in which to present awards. They are as follows:
Our staff will select the winners of each award over the course of the following ten days. But, a poll at the conclusion of each post will allow you, the reader, to determine the real “winner.”
Let’s begin by presenting the Breakout Player of the Year award. These are the people we have nominated:
Throughout the most of his NFL career, Melifonwu has struggled with injuries, which has prevented him from ever really breaking out and having any major moments. He has been in good health this year and has utilized his time on the field. This defense need
someone who can do it all—someone who is more than just a run stopper or coverage safety. Every level of playmaker can make a team hard to stop.There are plenty of worthy choices for the Lions, and although I would
prefer to select someone who isn’t a rookie, I have to choose LaPorta. LaPorta not only broke the single-season receiving record for tight ends in the Lions (by more than 100 yards), but he accomplished it as a rookie. Simply put, rookie tight ends don’t play as well as he did.
Kyle Pitts, a fourth-overall pick who played more receiver snaps than inline, is the only recent analog. LaPorta excited a lot of us, but none of us anticipated his rapid development.
Melifonwu was one of the most crucial members of the Lions defense in the latter stages of the season, even if it took him some time to get rolling. He had all the physical attributes needed to be a successful safety in
the modern NFL, and once he began playing as a starter, he demonstrated his skills versus the pass and the run. And what’s so crazy about Melifonwu? He might not have reached the full extent of his talent as a safety.
