This offseason, the Detroit Lions added an infusion of youth into their wide receiver room. These young receivers each impressed Lions fans during the preseason. However, one rookie's performance in particular made general manager Brad Holmes' draft decision look great.
During the 2025 NFL Draft, Detroit traded up in the third round to acquire Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. To secure Teslaa, the Lions gave up the 102nd pick along with two third-rounders in 2026. Many Lions fans thought Holmes gave up too much for Teslaa, given that was was never super productive in college.
That said, his training camp and preseason gave fans a reason to be excited for him going forward.
Lions Rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa Already Proving Why Brad Holmes Drafted Him
It seemingly didn't take the 23-year-old long to stand out. According to Lions Senior writer Tim Twentyman, TeSlaa showed his playmaking ability as early as the first week of training camp. In one of the first practices, he hauled in a 50-50 catch down the sideline and scored a touchdown.
Though that play happened against a cornerback who didn't make the team, it was impressive nonetheless. Still, some fans were worried about his route-running ability. Thankfully, he put some of those worries to rest during his preseason performances.
All 🔟 Isaac TeSlaa preseason catches 🎥 pic.twitter.com/wc7KoINpzC
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 25, 2025
Many consider the route TeSlaa ran in their third preseason game against the Tennessee Titans to score a touchdown his best play of the preseason. However, he showed on multiple occasions that his route running isn't a problem.
The 23-year-old finished the preseason with 10 receptions on 13 targets for 146 yards and three touchdowns. The most impressive part of that stat line is the number of touchdowns he scored.
Typically, in the preseason, fans don't see receivers score multiple touchdowns. This is because quarterback play is usually worse. That was no exception for the Lions this preseason, so the fact he found the end zone three times proves he has a nose for scoring.
That could end up being a huge factor in why the third-round pick sees playing time early in the year. Despite TeSlaa still needing to develop, Holmes and Lions fans can feel pretty confident in him after the preseason.