'A dream': Lions trade up for Michigan native, Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa
Allen Park — Some people were born to be Detroit Lions. Isaac TeSlaa is one of them.
The Lions traded up twice on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, using their second move to go up 32 spots in Round 3 and grab TeSlaa, a wide receiver from Arkansas who grew up in Hudsonville and has been a fan of the Lions since he was in diapers.
More: National analysts grade the Lions for their Day 2 picks in the NFL Draft
Detroit sent multiple Day 2 picks to get TeSlaa (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) on Friday night, giving up both of next year's third-round picks and this year's third-rounder (102 overall). In return, the Lions received pick Nos. 70 and 182 in this year's draft and a sixth-round pick in next year's draft.
"I don't know if I have words ... I'm still processing it right now. Obviously, it's been not only a dream to play in the NFL, but to play for my hometown team, the team I've been rooting for since I was a baby, so, it's just an incredible feeling," TeSlaa told reporters via Zoom.
TeSlaa, 23, attended Unity Christian in Hudsonville. He began his college career at Hillsdale (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) before transferring to Arkansas in 2023. Over 25 games for the Razorbacks, he caught 62 passes for 896 yards (14.5 average) and five touchdowns.
He first got on the radar of Lions general manager Brad Holmes during the Senior Bowl. Holmes immediately noticed TeSlaa's blocking, saying he "was just being a pest and he was pissing off the (defensive backs)."
"Obviously, it made me just want to completely watch the tape when you see a guy that's just big, long, smooth strider, can accelerate, can run, he's a hands catcher, can play special teams, can block," Holmes said. "He can do a lot of things."
He's an uber-athletic receiver with inside-outside ability and said he models his game after Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. Based on NFL Combine measurements, TeSlaa ranked No. 1 in athleticism score, per Next Gen Stats. He received a 9.97 Relative Athletic Score, which ranks 11th out of 3,441 receivers from 1987 to 2025.
"He's gonna need to develop, but he's got the tools to play outside and win outside. He's gonna have to learn getting off press (coverage) and all that stuff, just like they all do, but he's got all the physical tools," Holmes said. "He's got the intangible makeup to be able to overcome that."
Isaac TeSlaa is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.97 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 11 out of 3441 WR from 1987 to 2025.
Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/ZeBq0A5q6I pic.twitter.com/Lsue3G6W2w— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2025
The Lions hosted TeSlaa on a top-30 visit — and TeSlaa showed up in a customized Lions jersey (No. 10) with his name on the back. Holmes thought it was a bit "cheesy" until TeSlaa told him he's owned the gear since eighth grade.
Just how deep does TeSlaa's fandom go? He was in attendance at Ford Field when Lions Hall-of-Famer Calvin Johnson set the single-season receiving record in 2012.
"I remember growing up watching Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, all those guys," TeSlaa said. "It's cool to be a part of that team now."
Two of the picks used to move up for TeSlaa were compensatory picks awarded to the Lions after former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was hired as head coach of the New York Jets. Detroit also moved up three spots in Round 2 to draft Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, sending pick Nos. 60 and 130 to the Denver Broncos for Nos. 57 and 230.
Following the pair of trades, the Lions are set to have four picks on the final day of the draft: Two in Round 6 (Nos. 182; 196, via Tampa Bay) and three in Round 7 (Nos. 228, via Dallas; 230, via Denver; and 244). With still one day remaining, Holmes has now traded up in the draft 11 times since 2021.
Entering Day 3, the Lions have yet to address edge rusher, their biggest position of need entering the weekend and arguably one of the deepest positions of the entire draft.
"I wouldn't say it's a disappointment (to not add an edge rusher) because we got all guys that we love," Holmes said. "Like I told you guys before the draft, we could have drafted an edge rusher that plays that position. We could have done it, and y'all would have been happy, right?"
Holmes continued, "All I hear is 'Edge rusher, draft an edge rusher.' So I'm like, 'Well, are you assuming that the guy's really good?' Well, that's a whole different story. Can you get in a position to get one of those? I don't need to get into specifics, but there's times where we made attempts to get one, and (he) just got picked before, we couldn't get up (in a trade). It takes two to trade. Or we just had another player higher, but we did the same thing that we do every draft. We picked the highest-rated player regardless of position."
At Hillsdale, TeSlaa was named the 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference offensive player of the year and was First Team All-G-MAC after hauling in 68 catches for 1,325 yards (19.5 average) and 13 touchdowns.
TeSlaa joins a receiving room that features two-time All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, Ronnie Bell, Tom Kennedy and Kalif Raymond.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 'A dream': Lions trade up for Michigan native, Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa
