The Detroit Lions have added plenty of fresh faces throughout a busy NFL offseason, with a good chunk of newcomers arriving via the 2025 draft. The three-day event in Green Bay came and went in a flash last month, leaving the Lions with seven new hand-picked rookies on their roster, along with several others who arrived at the Motor City as undrafted free agents.
The Lions’ 2025 rookie class got its first taste of action over the weekend in the form of the annual rookie minicamp. Even though a three-day event isn’t the biggest sample size, it was all one Detroit rookie needed to impress his new coaching staff.
Lions Coaching Staff Impressed by WR Isaac TeSlaa’s Minicamp Performance
As the Lions continue to prepare for the end-of-May organized team activities (OTAs), wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery recently told the Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi that WR Isaac TeSlaa was one of the biggest rookie minicamp standouts.
“What you saw is a guy that definitely belonged,” Montgomery said. “He’s exactly what we thought he was.”
#Lions WR coach Scottie Montgomery asked what he's seen from Isaac TeSlaa in rookie minicamp…
"What you saw is a guy that definitely belonged…he's exactly what we thought he was.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) May 13, 2025
Looking to add more juice in the WR room behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the Lions used the 2025 draft’s 70th overall selection to select TeSlaa out of Arkansas. Detroit was so enamored by the playmaking prospect that they sent three draft picks — including two 2026 third-rounders — to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up 32 spots to make the selection happen.
In the Lions’ eyes, it was a price worth paying for the Arkansas product, who demonstrated potential during his time with the Razorbacks. TeSlaa converted 62 catches into 896 receiving yards and five touchdowns across his last two collegiate seasons, which includes finishing 2024 with a career-high 70.5 Pro Football Focus receiving grade.
Much like most first-year players, though, Isaac arrives in the NFL far from a perfect prospect. The 23-year-old WR’s inconsistent blocking and lack of separation ability leaves a lot of room for improvement, which the Lions’ coaching staff will hopefully address between OTAs, training camp, and the preseason schedule.
It won’t be much longer until TeSlaa gets another chance to show Montgomery and the rest of the Detroit coaches what he can do. He’ll be back on the gridiron when the Lions begin their OTAs on Wednesday, May 28.
In the meantime, TeSlaa will continue his offseason training while being tied for the 32nd-best odds (+15000) to be named the 2025 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year on FanDuel Sportsbook.
