Hogs' first player off the board, drafted by home state Lions

Detroit has made an effort to bring in quite a few former Razorbacks via free agency or through the draft in previous years.

Former center Frank Ragnow anchors the Lions offensive line, Dan Skipper continues to play a vital role as an extra tackle in jumbo packages and former backup kicker Jake Bates emerged as the starter in 2024 booming several 50+ yard kicks.

The 6-foot-4, 215 pound draft hopeful was targeted over 60 times last season and did not drop a single pass.

TeSlaa's journey from 0-star "Wing-T" quarterback recruit, small school All-American to SEC contributor is a pure display of work ethic, determination and grit that most NFL general managers desire in a draft pick.

TeSlaa finished his career at Arkansas with 62 receptions for 896 yards and five total touchdowns in two seasons. He even led all Razorbacks receivers in yards per catch at 19.5 yards, minimum 10 receptions.

After transferring in from Division II ball, TeSlaa had plenty of tape out there showing his development as an athletic receiver that it earned him "Freak" honors ahead of his first season at Arkansas in 2023.

Due to his efforts at the Reese's Senior Bowl in December, scouts took notice of TeSlaa's crisp route running and athletic ability to adjust for any catch.

A few lesser-known talents also stood out on offense. Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa had a quietly solid week, and he had a few nice moments in the game with 19- and 16-yard receptions, along with a two-point conversion. He's a smooth mover for a 6-2, 217-pound wideout.Senior Bowl's Draft Writer Eric Edholm

The NFL's Next Gen model has him rated at 70 which tied with Georgia receiver Arian Smith at No. 27 and a 5.92 score which is directly behind Oregon's Traeshon Holder.

Another analytical system, Relative Athletic Score, touted Teslaa as one of the top 20 most athletic wide receivers dating back to 1987, according to RAS.

Teslaa posted a time of 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 39.5 inch vertical leap, 10-foot-9-inches in the broad jump and 4.05 seconds in the short-shuttle (No. 1 among receivers) contributed to his favorable evaluation.

Small School Hogs

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman and his staff have done a respectable job evaluating talent who transferred in from smaller schools.

Whether athletes have come from the FCS level or Division II, Arkansas coaches have hit more than they have missed over the past five seasons.

DT John Ridgeway, Illinois State (2021)
WR Isaac TeSlaa, Hillsdale (2023)
WR Andrew Armstrong, Texas A&M Commerce (2023)
RB Rodney Hill, Florida A&M (2024)*
DE Anton Juncaj, Albany (2024)
RB Tyrell Reed, JUCO (2024)
DL David Oke, Abiliene Christian (2025)
DB Keshawn Davilla, JUCO (2025)
TE Rohan Jones, Montana State (2025)
TE Jeremiah Beck, JUCO (2025)
DB Shakur Smalls, Maine (2025)
LB Trent Whalen, Southern Utah (2025)

*Hill transferred in winter portal window in 2023 from Florida State, stayed at Florida A&M one semester before transferring to Arkansas for 2024 season.

Arkansas may not be finished with its small school transfers being selected this weekend as Andrew Armstrong, who led the SEC in receptions and yards last season, remains on the board.

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