“He’s probably grown more than anybody has throughout the year, as far as our young guys. He’s grown the most,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of TeSlaa late in the season. “What you love about him is why he’s here. Of course, he’s got ability, but he’s smart, he’s instinctive, he’s tough, he’s a finisher, he’s resilient.
“Every week, we’ve been able to put more and more on him. He’s serving a lot of different roles, playing a lot of different positions. But he’s just continued to – he’s one of those guys that broke through that rookie wall at some point and just kept going. And that’s what you want. Those are the guys you’re looking for.”
TeSlaa finished with a modest 16 receptions on 27 targets for 239 receiving yards, but six of those receptions went for touchdowns, which tied Titus Young (2011) for the second-most touchdown receptions by a first-year player in franchise history.