Lions Have Surprise Reason for Drafting GM's 'Favorite Player' in Rookie Class

The Detroit Lions made one of the most surprising decisions in the NFL Draft when they decided to trade up for Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. The Lions moved up nearly a full round to take the 6-foot-4, 214-pound receiver with the 70th overall pick ,and it was seen as a shock with The Athletic’s Dane Brugler giving him a fifth-to-sixth round grade in his scouting guide, “The Beast.”

While many criticized the decision, Lions general manager Brad Holmes had his reasons for making the move and it may give Detroit the biggest steal of the draft if TeSlaa pans out.

Isaac TeSlaa’s Pre-Draft Process Made Him Lions’ Favorite Receiver in NFL Draft

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared his intel from the Lions draft class on Wednesday morning and discussed the team’s thought process in trading up for TeSlaa. While the deal had some sticker shock, Fowler believed it was his performance at the Hula Bowl and his quarterback situation at Arkansas that had teams like Detroit interested in his services.

“Had TeSlaa not gotten that Hula Bowl invite, his draft positioning would have looked far different,” Fowler wrote. “But once teams started to see him up close, they scheduled interviews with them and did their research on why he didn’t get the ball at Arkansas. It wasn’t because of attitude or work ethic issues – his personality shined in the process, becoming Detroit GM Brad Holmes’ favorite player in the draft. Some attributed his low production in college to lack of communication and inexperience at quarterback.”

TeSlaa didn’t put up massive numbers at Arkansas, catching 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns over two seasons, including 28 catches for 545 yards and three touchdowns last year. But he also played under two offensive coordinators, Dan Enos in 2023 and Bobby Petrino in 2024.

Quarterbacks were also a big issue for TeSlaa. K.J. Jefferson started 12 games for the Razorbacks in 2023, but he only threw for 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. When he transferred to Central Florida the following year, Taylen Green took over, throwing for 3,154 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 13 games.

Those low yardage totals suggest there wasn’t a lot of meat on the bone for TeSlaa to put up top prospect numbers. But Holmes noted that TeSlaa “handled it very professionally” in interviews, leading him to become his “favorite receiver” in the draft according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press.

If anything, TeSlaa did a tremendous job selling himself to get a team to buy into him. It’s now on him to make sure that Holmes’s faith doesn’t go unrewarded.