The Detroit Lions went with a Michigander with their third-round pick.
Trading up for the 70th overall pick, the Lions selected Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. TeSlaa wowed scouts at the NFL combine and shot up draftboards, finally landing with the Lions.
Here are three things you should know about Detroit’s newest receiver:
1. Isaac TeSlaa was born in Michigan and grew up a Lions fan
TeSlaa played quarterback at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, Michigan, a farming community outside Grand Rapids. Only three people from Hudsonville have ever played a game in the NFL.
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The young athlete started out as a quarterback, but soon became a wide receiver after leading Unity Christian to a Division 5 state championship in 2018. He didn’t receive any FBS offers out of high school, however.
2. Isaac TeSlaa was a zero-star recruit out of high school
Without any Division I offers, TeSlaa made his way to Division II Hillsdale, a small liberal-arts school in southern Michigan. It was there he blossomed into a a stud receiver and started to receive big-time offers.
He eventually settled on Arkansas before the 2023 season to prove his worth in the SEC, but things started off slowly. He eventually amassed nearly 900 receiving yards over his two years as a Razorback, but once again he wasn’t receiving much attention from the next level.
That is until he turned an invitation to the Senior Bowl into a combine opportunity.
3. Isaac TeSlaa showed out at the NFL combine
After turning some heads at the Senior Bowl, TeSlaa turned in a combine performance for the ages.
TeSlaa scored a 9.93 on his athleticism at the combine, which was the top score among all receivers at the 2025 combine. That’s despite his production at Arkansas placing him 48th among all receivers at the combine.
It got the attention of many NFL scouts, including those of the Lions, who made him their third-round selection.
Want to know more about TeSlaa? Check out the profile the Free Press’ Rainer Sabin wrote about him that published April 19.
