The Detroit Lions have big plans for rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
The third-round pick out of Arkansas displayed his freakish athleticism in the final minute of Sundayâs 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, making a leaping one-handed grab for a 13-yard touchdown from Jared Goff as he fell backwards out of the end zone.
It was the only catch for TeSlaa, who played just three of 67 offensive snaps behind starters Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and No. 3 receiver Kalif Raymond in the season-opening defeat.
Moving forward, the Lions hope to feature TeSlaa more prominently.
TeSlaa Slated for Bigger Role
TeSlaa won the No. 4 receiver job in Detroit after Tim Patrick was traded to the Jaguars but missed a portion of practice last week with an illness, impacting his preparation for Week 1.
âWe didnât feel comfortable trying to load him up with stuff, and so it was going to be very limited,â head coach Dan Campbell said during Monday’s press conference . âBut certainly, weâd like to use him more. Thereâs something there. It looks like heâs back and feels good.
âIt was good to see him make a play. He was only in on three plays on offense, but he did a good job on those three. ⦠Weâre going to start trying to get him some reps.â
Lionsâ Offense Struggles in Opener
Without Ben Johnson calling the shots on offense, the Lions struggled to move the ball. The Lions gained just 246 total yards and did not reach the end zone until TeSlaaâs touchdown with 55 seconds remaining.
Afterward, Campbell stated the obvious : the Lions never found their rhythm.
âThe plan was to stay patient, be patient, which I thought Goff was,â Campbell said. âWe took what was there and we felt like eventually those shots would show. We just couldnât quite get to them.â
Tight end Sam LaPorta led the Lions with 79 yards on six catches, St. Brown had four catches for 45 yards, and Williams had four catches for 23 yards. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs added 10 catches for just 23 yards.
Goff finished 31-of-39 for 225 yards through the air. His 5.7 yards per attempt were his fewest since Week 8 last season against the Titans . Ironically, the Lions won that game 52-14 .
Johnson, who oversaw the NFLâs highest-scoring offense in 2024 (33.2 points per game), left in January to become the Bears’ head coach.
TeSlaa Starred at the NFL Combine
TeSlaa grew up a Lions fan and started his college career close to home at Division II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., before transferring to Arkansas. In two seasons with the Razorbacks, he caught 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns.
After an impressive performance at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where he turned in a 4.43 second 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical leap, and led all receivers with a time of 4.05 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle, the 6-foot-4 TeSlaa was picked 70th overall by Detroit.
As for his first career touchdown catch , he told the Detroit Free Press’ Mitch Albom , âIt was close. It was like bang-bang, my foot to my butt. Iâm glad the foot came down first.â
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