Isaac TeSlaa has raised eyebrows and turned heads during the early days of Detroit Lions training camp.
Plucked from Arkansas after the Lions traded up in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, many fans and pundits felt TeSlaa was a significant reach.
But the Lions felt otherwise. A freakish athlete from nearby Hudsonville, TeSlaa was high on Detroit’s draft wishlist.
Projected as a high upside pick with raw potential, the Lions loved TeSlaa’s athleticism, big frame and catching radius.
Still, many fans had questions.
But the born and raised Detroit Lions fan has flashed some of that raw potential during his first NFL practice sessions.
At Saturday’s press conference, Head Coach Dan Campbell praised TeSlaa’s early development:
“Scottie Montgomerie is working really well with him. TeSlaa had a really good day yesterday. I am starting to see the uptick in him. Now he needs to stack days on top of that, and yesterday was the first day in pads.”
Despite dealing with a lingering knee injury, TeSlaa followed up Friday’s practice with a strong showing on Saturday. The highlight was a 50-50 catch in the red zone over DiCaprio Bootle.
ok then, @TeslaaIsaac 👀 pic.twitter.com/EmMjjIqduH
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 26, 2025
It encapsulated why the Lions loved TeSlaa in the pre-draft process. Today’s catch followed some excellent grabs from TeSlaa on Friday.
TeSlaa spoke after practice, confirming that his knee is something he has to deal with:
“It hurts a little bit. But I guarantee you, everyone who is out on the field right now is dealing with something. Just how football is. Maybe mine is a little more noticeable, but I’m just trying to grind through it and focus on the things I need to focus on.”
On the catches, TeSlaa confirmed that he feels good with the battle against defensive backs:
“Obviously, DB’s are normally a little bit smaller than receivers so that definitely gives me an advantage. Like you saw (Friday) going over the top … it’s been fun and it’s been good.”
Lions star wideout Amon Ra-St. Brown weighed in on TeSlaa’s training camp performance:
“Isaac had a huge play today to end practice. Been making plays all camp.”