Our selections for most encouraging performances from Detroit Lions rookie minicamp.
First impressions aren’t everything, but they are something.
On Friday, the 2025 Detroit Lions rookie class took the field for the first of three rookie minicamp practices. That’s the only practice we’ll get to see from a media standpoint, so that will be our lasting impression of this rookie class until they take the field with the veterans during Organized Team Activities at the end of the month.
Obviously you, the reader, don’t have a direct first impression of this rookie class. But plenty has already been written about Friday’s practice. You can see my observations here , and you can also get more analysis over at Freep , Detroit Football Network , Lions Wire , and Sports Illustrated . Additionally, you can get your own first impression of the Lions draft picks by watching their first in-person media sessions after practice here .
With all that being said, today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions rookie had the most encouraging debut?
My answer: First of all, I want to say that you should watch Dominic Lovett’s media session. It completely caught me off guard, because his Zoom after the draft couldn’t have been more ordinary. I now realize that was likely because we, the media, were burned out by the end of the draft and scrambling to play catch up. Lovett’s got a bright personality, a unique sense of humor, and gave off Jamaal Williams’ vibes. He’s going to be fun to cover.
But if we’re talking about on-field contributions, it was hard not to be drawn in by receiver Isaac TeSlaa. The Lions were very clearly trying to get him involved early and often during seven-on-seven drills. And while his day was probably best described as “up and down,” it was easy to see the vision with him.
Detroit mostly played him on the outside and was sure to have the corner opposite him lined up in press-man coverage. TeSlaa was able to disengage often. I still think there needs to be some cleaning up when it comes creating separation at the top of his routes, but all of his defining attributes were on display at some point in practice. He broke away with his speed on a route that wasn’t the eventual target. He fought through some contested catches, didn’t have anything I would consider a drop, and flashed his physicality a bit during blocking drills (although contact is very limited right now).
As one of the bigger critics of the pick, I feel a bit better about him after one practice, even if there is still plenty of room to grow for the third-round pick.
How about you? What reports have you read that make you feel encouraged about a particular rookie? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know!