Lions’ Brad Holmes delivers commencement speech at North Carolina A&T
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes delivered the commencement speech at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Isaac TeSlaa’s boyhood dream has officially come true.
TeSlaa, who grew up a Detroit Lions fan and was a third-round pick by the team in last month’s NFL draft, posted a photo May 19 on Instagram of him signing his rookie contract.
TeSlaa said on draft night he always wanted to play for the Lions. General manager Brad Holmes said TeSlaa even wore a personalized Lions jersey to Allen Park on his top-30 pre-draft visit.
“I don’t know if I have the words right now,” TeSlaa said draft night. “Obviously, it’s been not only a dream to play in the NFL, but to play for my hometown team, the team I’ve rooted for since I was a baby.
“It’s just an incredible feeling. I’m just ready to go to work, get to the facility and just put the work in.”
The 70th overall pick of the draft, TeSlaa received a slotted four-year deal with a total value of $6.664 million, according to OverTheCap.com. The deal includes a $1.487 million signing bonus.
TeSlaa is expected to play a backup role on the Lions’ high-powered offense this fall. The Lions return their top four receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond, but only St. Brown and Williams are the only contributors under contract beyond 2025.
A transfer from Division III Hillsdale, TeSlaa caught 62 passes for 896 yards in two seasons at Arkansas. He was considered one of the most athletic receivers in this year’s draft at 6 feet 4 and 214 pounds, and Holmes said TeSlaa impressed with his blocking at the Senior Bowl.
“We’re excited about him,” Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew said before rookie minicamp. “I think he’s got a ways to go and I think the upside this kid has is going to be, he’s got a chance to be a really good player for us.
“He’s got to grow some as a route runner, play more on the outside. The kid played, I think it was a Wing-T quarterback in high school and went to Hillsdale and that’s where he made the transformation to receiver. But man, I’m exited to get the guy.”
The Lions have signed five of their seven draft picks, including all four of their Day 3 picks before rookie camp.
First-round pick Tyleik Williams and second-rounder Tate Ratledge remain unsigned.
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.