{"id":120494,"date":"2025-06-11T04:48:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T04:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/120494\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T04:48:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T04:48:10","slug":"why-lions-rookie-isaac-teslaa-will-surprise-doubters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/120494\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lions’ Rookie Isaac TeSlaa Will Surprise Doubters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, one of Brad Holmes\u2019 most controversial draft picks<\/a> over the past four seasons, is poised to make a big impact this season. TeSlaa looked impressive enough at OTAs to take over the coveted third wide receiver slot on the roster, leap-frogging over both Tim Patrick<\/a> and Khalif Raymond<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why Controversial Lions\u2019\u00a0Rookie Will Surprise Doubters<\/p>\n

The former Arkansas Razorback was a surprise third-round NFL draft<\/a> pick. Brad Holmes moved up 32 spots from the 102nd by trading with the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> for the Lions\u2019 2025 third-round and sixth-round picks, plus two third-round 2026 picks. \u00a0Armed with the 70th overall selection, Holmes drafted TeSlaa with the sixth pick of the third round. It was an unexpected move that draft experts didn\u2019t see coming. Graded at the Combine as a \u201cGood backup with the potential to develop into a starter,\u201d TeSlaa wasn\u2019t expected to go off the board until the fourth or fifth round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is Isaac TeSlaa A Diamond In the Rough?
\n\"IsaacDetroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) stretches after practice during OTA at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Friday, May 30, 2025.<\/p>\n

However, Holmes has a genius ability to spot underrated talent. \u00a0Given his previous draft track record, it\u2019s probably not wise to question his opinion of TeSlaa as \u201chis favorite wide receiver in the NFL Draft.\u201d<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the reasons why TeSlaa\u2019s collegiate stats of 62 receptions for 896 yards with five touchdowns at Arkansas didn\u2019t stand out is he only played there for two years. TeSlaa initially began his collegiate career at Hillsdale College in Michigan, a Division II school, where his father was a wide receiver.<\/p>\n

Named the team MVP, TeSlaa\u2019s impressive production of 68 receptions for 1,325 yards with 13 touchdowns made him a big fish in a small pond. Voted the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, TeSlaa decided to transfer to Arkansas<\/a>. However, joining the Razorbacks\u2019 highly-rated receiving unit meant that TeSlaa was no longer the big fish. He was one of many talented receivers competing for targets. There was a corresponding drop in TeSlaa\u2019s receiving yardage and scoring opportunities, perhaps because he was used primarily as a slot receiver. <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Holmes liked what he saw of TeSlaa. At the NFL Combine, he scored 1st in his Athleticism Score with a grade of 96. He also impressed Holmes when he showed up in his own customized Lions jersey at his Pre-Draft Top 30 meeting. Holmes acknowledged that his trading up to draft TeSlaa was a controversial move, \u201cThe pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa.<\/a> I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft. I\u2019m not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft. But favorite wide receiver in the draft? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does TeSlaa Live Up To The Rookie Hype?<\/p>\n

Signed to a Lions rookie contract worth approximately $6.6 million over four seasons, TeSlaa began proving his doubters wrong. At 6\u20194\u201d and 214 lbs, he stood out at the minicamp with his size and speed. His large frame gives him an advantage in contested catches and blocking. TeSlaa\u2019s sizable 10\u201d hands make him a very dependable receiver. In 2024, he didn\u2019t drop a single ball,<\/a> highlighting\u00a0his superior ball-handling skills. \u00a0<\/p>\n

During OTAs, TeSlaa was targeted often and made the most of his opportunities. He impressed the Lions\u2019 coaching staff.<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cI thought he did a really good job for what we were doing,\u201d said offensive coordinator John Morton<\/a>. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a lot, but he tried. He\u2019s taking from what he learned in the meeting room out, and (he) went on the field and he was doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where Does TeSlaa Fit Into Lions Offense?<\/p>\n

With few changes from last year\u2019s offensive roster, Morton has a wealth of talent to design an offense around. He doesn\u2019t anticipate many changes. The Lions\u2019 high-powered offense will look similar to last year after a bit of fine-tuning and some subtle changes. Morton believes a good offense starts with the quarterback. As part of the Lions 2022 coaching staff, he has a previous connection with MVP-caliber quarterback Jared Goff<\/a>. \u00a0Morton and Goff worked extremely well together in the past. In addition, he inherited the NFL\u2019s best tandem running back duo in David Montgomery<\/a>\u00a0and Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with Patrick and Raymond, Morton has a roomful of talented receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jamison Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta<\/a>. Gibbs is also a terrific pass-catcher. \u00a0So, where does Lions\u2019 rookie TeSlaa fit into the equation? The addition of TeSlaa won\u2019t impact St. Brown or Williams\u2019 target share. He won\u2019t take away targets from LaPorta. Fully recovered from his injury, LaPorta will look to build upon his superior rookie performance after last year\u2019s slow start.<\/p>\n

However, TeSlaa could find himself in competition with Patrick.<\/a> The two share a similar physique. Patrick is 6\u20195\u2033 and 210 lbs. Regarded as a deep ball threat, Patrick had 34 receptions for 416 yards with three touchdowns a year ago. \u00a0Patrick also had similar numbers in college with 61 catches for 888 yards and five touchdowns at Utah. After breaking his hand mid-way through his first year, he missed 17 games but came back in 2016 to lead his team with 45 catches for 711 receiving yards, and five touchdown receptions.<\/p>\n

Detroit sports radio host Mike Valenti<\/a> speculated to SI, \u201cI really think that when camp is done, the Lions will feel they can get more out of TeSlaa at that X-receiver spot than they can with Patrick. That doesn\u2019t mean Patrick is not going to get targets; he will. I just think the rookie brings more speed and more opportunities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether Morton ultimately chooses TeSlaa or Patrick, having both of these men to choose from as the Lions\u2019 solid third receiving option is a good problem to have. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Main Image: Kimberly P. Mitchell \u2013 USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, one of Brad Holmes\u2019 most controversial draft picks over the past four…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3337,153,7,842,1029,14987,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-120494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-brad-holmes","9":"tag-detroit-lions-news","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-isaac-teslaa","12":"tag-jared-goff","13":"tag-john-morton","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114662926476884265","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}