TeSlaa's catch embarrasses NFL veteran during Detroit Lions' training camp

Veteran Lions cornerback Avante Moss was on the receiving end of one of TeSlaa's acrobatic receptions down the sideline where he turned his body in air to make the catch. One difference from college to NFL is receivers must come down with both feet inbounds, which the rookie did each time.

TeSlaa came off the board surprisingly early during the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft as he was selected by his hometown Detroit Lions with the No. 70 overall pick.

Former Hillsdale College turned Razorbacks transfer, TeSlaa posted impressive testing scores including a total athleticism score of 96 which ranked No. 1 among receivers at the NFL Combine in April, according to NFL's Next Gen Stats.

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.

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.

The 6-foot-4, 215 pound wideout was targeted over 60 times last season by Arkansas quarterbacks 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.

During his time at Arkansas, he was often used as either KJ Jefferson's or Taylen Green's third option through the air. TeSlaa caught 62 passes for 896 yards and five total touchdowns in two seasons.

He even led all Razorbacks receivers in yards per catch at 19.5 yards this season, minimum 10 receptions, showing he truly does have true playmaking ability comparable to that of Jordy Nelson, Cooper Kupp and many others.

Detroit seems to be a friendly place for former Razorbacks in previous years either drafting or signing free agents.

Former Arkansas center Frank Ragnow anchored the Lions offensive line at center from 2017-24 before announcing his abrupt retirement this spring.

Dan Skipper continues to play a vital role as an extra tackle in jumbo packages, former back-up kicker Jake Bates emerged as the starter just last season, booming several 50+ yard kicks.

Defensive end Trey Flowers spent three seasons in Motor City where he played 29 games, including 27 starts and finished with 98 tackles, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

TeSlaa could see a long career with his hometown team as Lions' general manager Brad Holmes told the Detroit News that the Arkansas product was his favorite receiver in the draft.

"I do love all of them," Holmes told Detroit News. "I'll give you this, though: The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft. I'm not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft. But favorite wide receiver in the draft? Yes."

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