TeSlaa after first NFL game: 'I had no idea that that was even legal'

CANTON, Ohio — Former Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has been a Detroit Lions fan since before even his oldest memories. He grew up a relatively short drive from their home stadium and even visited with team officials prior to the draft in his personally customized Lions jersey with his name on the back.

There was little doubt how much he loves the franchise and how bad he wanted to be a member of the organization no matter what he had to do as part of the job. Detroit made his dream partially come true by drafting him in the third round this past spring, much higher than many expected.

And when it came time to fulfill the other portion of his dream, actually stepping onto the field as an official team member in his own authentic game jersey, Detroit was highly efficient in making that happen as well. From the opening kick-off, head coach Dan Campbell wasted no time in watching his newest toy at wide receiver complete his initial dream of playing for the beloved team of his childhood.

He put TeSlaa on the field and rarely took him off on for anything outside of defense the entire first half. The Michigan native glowed with joy doing even the most mundane tasks such as blocking both on offense and kick return, drawing away defensive backs from an alternate receiver and being the first man to the ball on the punt team.

While he went on to lead the team in receiving with a pair of 20+ yard receptions for 46 yards, it was his approach to the little things that eat up the majority of a receiver's time that perfectly reflected his head coach's philosophy.

"The message is, man, when you get an opportunity to make your plays, you got to make your plays, but you got to do it within the system," Campbell said. "You got to do it with the fundamentals you've been taught. And play your rules, you know, make sure you play your responsibility. And now you got one on tape."

Finally, after multiple series where Detroit tested the run game rather deeply, Campbell decided it was time to see what TeSlaa had in the tank. On a night plagued with turnovers that was far from reaching even lackluster status from start to finish for the Lions, the former Razorback provided the massive spark that would fail to be generated anywhere else.

It became quickly clear the third series for Detroit's offense, led by new offensive coordinator John Morton, was going to be all TeSlaa. He came across over the middle wide open, snagged a pass from Allen with his trademark soft hands, tucked it and turned on the jets for a 24-yard gain to start the drive.

On the following play, with Allen trying to run to his right from pressure, TeSlaa came open again over the middle, this time crossing the other way into Allen's view. TeSlaa came away with another sure-handed catch at full speed, turning this one into a 22-yard gain while moving Detroit into field goal range at the Chargers' 31-yard line.

"I typically don't get too nervous," TeSlaa said. "Obviously, this is a it was definitely a big game for a lot of us, but especially us rookies. It's our first NFL action, so it was more of like nervous anticipation, I would say, rather than any sort of jitters or anything. But it was good to get out there. Once I got out there and got in the flow of things definitely felt good."

However, it wasn't all sunshine and roses. There will be plenty of tape for coaches to pick through that will allow TeSlaa to make minor adjustments while continuing to improve.

Allen threw his second interception of the first quarter on that third drive when he tried to hit TeSlaa in the front corner of the end zone. However, TeSlaa hadn't quite mustered the strength to power through his defender, so when he squirted past the him along the sideline, it was a tad too late

The inability to get by on initial contact left Allen out to dry after the pass went to where TeSlaa would have been had he gotten by more cleanly. It goes on Allen's stat sheet, but it's an opportunity for TeSlaa to avoid ending a drive there in the future.

"Obviously, you know, when you get to this level, everyone's going to be bigger and faster and stronger, but I mean, to a degree, you're pretty surprised when you get out there, just the level of play," TeSlaa said. "So now that I've seen firsthand what it's like, just continue to grow every single day."

On his first offensive play, TeSlaa quickly got up to his man in the secondary, but didn't get his backside swung around into the right position, allowing the defender to affect the play. However, on the next play, TeSlaa hit his block perfectly, which is a good sign for him.

"Football's definitely an emotional game, but you got to be able to tame those emotions," TeSlaa said. "So when you're making plays, don't let don't get the highs be too high, the lows be too low. Once you start making a couple plays ... football is football, so it's the game I've been playing since I was in third grade."

The biggest thing is he got through his first possession as a professional without looking lost. That and where he and former Arkansas Razorbacks offensive tackle Dan Skipper were positioned in the line-up.

Both started and had strong accounts of themselves on the field. While starting in the Hall of Fame Game means both are considered non-starters at the moment, what it does indicate is both are being heavily considered for first man off the bench when needed.

As a fourth or fifth receiver, TeSlaa will receive almost as many snaps per game as starters because of the need to rotate in at that position. The large number of reps, when coupled with everyone on the team having to learn a new offense under Morton, closes the gap significantly if TeSlaa is as prepared for the moment as he appears to be.

Because of the nature of the wide receiver position and also how often injuries occur along the offensive front, both TeSlaa and Skipper should get opportunities for game time experience this fall of both can stay healthy until their number is called.

Beyond health, the one thing no one else on the team may have is such a deep love for the silver and blue. That's an intangible that can tip things in TeSlaa's favor going forward.

"I just saw the NFL put out a post talking about me going to the pre draft, or my visit and the Lions jersey and all the pictures of me as a kid," TeSlaa said immediately after the game. "So very surreal just to be here, be playing for the Lions. I mean, it's really just incredible, and I thank God every day for it.

"When I saw the picture, like five minutes ago, I was like, holy cow. They must have pulled that from one of the [surveillance cameras], that's crazy. I had no idea that that was even legal."

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