The Detroit Lions moved up 32 picks for a receiver they liked, but the move wasn’t cheap.
The Detroit Lions are once again locking in on their guy and making a move. Just minutes after trading up for second-round pick Tate Ratledge, the Lions moved up 32 picks in the third to select Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa.
TeSlaa is a familiar name to those entrenched in the local Michigan football scene. He played at Hillsdale College from 2020-2022 before transferring to Arkansas. He started 17 of his 25 games over two seasons with the Razorbacks and racked up 896 yards and five touchdowns.
Before we dive into grades, we have to look at what kind of wide receiver TeSlaa is. He is definitely going to be your big-bodied outside receiver. He measures in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and averaged 19.5 yards per reception in 2024. Think Tim Patrick’s role. He could be an upgrade too, as he’s very athletic (ran a 4.43 40 with a 9.93 overall Relative Athletic Score) and is young and a bit unpolished.
That being the case, it’s clear why the Lions had their sights set on TeSlaa. The Lions were fortunate that Tim Patrick grew into a fruitful role as their outside receiver in 2024, and they brought him back for 2025 at a price of $2.5 million. This tells me that they’re not banking on Patrick being a part of their long term plans, which makes sense given his age and injury history.
For TeSlaa, whose experience in Division 1 football is limited, it’ll be good to have a year of runway where there isn’t the pressure to take over the role currently occupied by Patrick. It’ll allow TeSlaa to get up to NFL speed and continue to grow on his experience with a higher level of competition.
Now, let’s talk value. The Lions traded this year’s third-round pick (102, the final pick of the third round) and both of next year’s third-round picks for the 70th overall pick and two sixth-round picks. That means TeSlaa is basically costing you three third-round picks, which is a lot.
The trade charts say that the trade wasn’t as lopsided as it appears on first glance, though:
The Lions’ massive trade up for TeSlaa is actually far more balanced than I thought (depending on your discount for future picks).
Still an overpay, but maybe not as much as it looks.
(via @josephjefe ) pic.twitter.com/v9x1bZLE1Y
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) April 26, 2025
However, I’m still a bit uneasy about paying three third-round picks for anyone this late in the draft.
As far as the player goes, Brad Holmes has given me enough reason to trust him that he knows what he sees in the receiver. TeSlaa also took part in the Senior Bowl , which is a huge green flag as far as identifying high-ceiling guys who may have flown under the radar.
I see the long-term vision, and I trust the Lions’ scouting. However, regardless of the player, I really don’t like that trade value. I think it’ll sting a bit more as the year goes on if we don’t see a ton of production out of TeSlaa in his rookie year, and I don’t expect a ton out of him until 2026.
My grade: C