Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa certainly understands the passion and intensity of the rivalries with NFC North foes.
The 2025 third-round pick grew up a supporter of the Lions. He even wore a custom uniform of his hometown team to meet with general manager Brad Holmes and the coaching staff prior to the draft.
Appearing on the latest episode of the St. Brown Bros. podcast, the former Arkansas wideout discussed earning a spot at the Senior Bowl and Combine, what it was like being drafted by the team he grew up supporting and how much he had disdain for the Green Bay Packers.
Amon-Ra St. Brown wanted to test to see how much the rookie already knew about the division and asked TeSlaa to name the teams in the division.
After correctly naming them all, Equanimeous St. Brown referenced the rookie probably hates the Packers already.
TeSlaa proclaimed, "I hate the Packers with a burning passion."
Prior to the draft, the 23-year-old worked his way to the Senior Bowl and the NFL scouting combine by showcasing his skills and performing well at the Hula Bowl, an annual college All-Star game.
"I didn't have a combine invite initially. I didn't have a Senior Bowl invite initially," TeSlaa explained. "So, I started at the Hula Bowl. I was a late invite to the Hula Bowl, which is a little bit lower or below the Senior Bowl. I ended up doing really well there. There was a Senior Bowl rep there, but the roster was full.
"So, if anyone ended up getting hurt or dropping out, then I was going to fill in," TeSlaa commented further. "That ended up happening. Had a really good week at the Senior Bowl. Then, got my combine invite. Did really well at the combine. So for me, it was just like getting those opportunities and just making the most of them and showing what I can do, right."
Detroit is opening their 2025 season on the road against Green Bay on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
