It wasn’t the most remarkable catch of Isaac TeSlaa’s young career. But it might have been the most revealing.
On the day the Detroit Lions lost to the Minnesota Vikings and were eliminated from the playoffs, they trailed 7-0 late in the second quarter. It was fourth-and-goal at the Minnesota 4-yard line. Jared Goff, in shotgun, took the snap and drifted back in the pocket.
TeSlaa, lined up out wide to the left, darted up field and then quickly veered right, deep in the end zone. Once he did, Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers dropped off him and safety Harrison Smith picked him up. But TeSlaa managed to circumvent Smith and get to his spot near the back line. Before he did, Goff released the ball with the assumption TeSlaa would make it to that exact destination at precisely the right time. A split-second later, as Smith and linebacker Blake Cashman converged on him, TeSlaa leapt and snatched the pass out of the air.
Touchdown, Lions.
“That’s a rep that Jared and I have been working a lot,” TeSlaa told the Free Press last month. “He can lead me, he can put up in the air. So, it’s just been nice to have that translate into a game like that and he has the confidence to throw me that ball.”
Goff’s trust in TeSlaa developed over the course of the season as the NFL newbie – with the memorable surname, curly locks and 6-foot-4 frame – showed he could deliver impact plays and highlight-reel grabs at a high frequency. The Hudsonville native scored six times on 16 catches while netting 239 yards. Among all wideouts with at least five TDs this season, his touchdown-to-reception ratio was second-best, surpassed only by Seattle’s Tory Horton.
TeSlaa’s body of work, as limited as it may have been, impressed. It also drew praise from the Lions’ most important figures. General manager Brad Holmes made it a point to mention he was “very happy” with the progress TeSlaa had shown by the end of his first NFL season. Coach Dan Campbell said TeSlaa had “probably grown more than anybody has throughout the year, as far as our young guys.”
“He’s got ability, but he’s smart, he’s instinctive, he’s tough, he’s a finisher, he’s resilient,” Campbell added. “Every week we’ve been able to put more and more on him. He’s serving a lot of different roles, playing a lot of different positions.”
In the process, he did his part to justify the Lions’ substantial investment in him, quelling the doubts of skeptics who wondered for months if he was worth the cost. After the Lions failed to swing a deal for another veteran player at the trade deadline, the pick of TeSlaa last April became the subject of intense scrutiny outside the team’s headquarters. The Lions gave up three third-round selections, including a pair of 2026 choices, to move up 32 spots and snatch TeSlaa with the 70th overall choice. It was a curious move that became even more puzzling after the organization later signed Jameson Williams to a lucrative three-year contract extension on the eve of the team’s opener last September.
With Amon-Ra St. Brown ensconced as Goff’s top target, TeSlaa appeared destined – at best – to serve as the No. 3 receiver in an offense that was already chock full of productive skill players. Opportunities figured to be further limited because running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta were also major factors in the passing game. The setup led others to question why Holmes relinquished so much draft capital to take a player who had only shown occasional flashes of brilliance at Arkansas following his 2023 transfer from Division II Hillsdale College. The befuddlement over Holmes’ bold decision grew more pronounced after TeSlaa was targeted just seven times in the first nine games.
But behind the scenes, TeSlaa was working to gain the trust of Goff and Campbell. Soon after he arrived in Allen Park, older teammates told him he would have to prove he could carry out each assignment exactly as it was prescribed.
“You see a lot of receivers in this league, working at the line, doing their own thing,” TeSlaa said. “You can’t do that because if JG sees you and you’re not there when you’re supposed to be there, he’s just gonna look away from you. So, even the first couple of days here working with the veterans, I learned right away how important timing and precision was with him.”
At first, Goff only seemed comfortable throwing to TeSlaa when he was running near the boundary, where the risk was minimized. His first two catches – a pair of spectacular one-handed grabs against Green Bay and Chicago that showcased his reliable hands – came on fade routes.
At that time, TeSlaa remembers being used more as a decoy who occupied defenders and drew safeties away from St. Brown, Williams, and LaPorta. The cutups from the games played then show TeSlaa clearing space for all three.
But TeSlaa also had to demonstrate that he could create room for himself. Gaining separation, from defenders in man coverage, after all, was seen as one of his biggest weaknesses when he entered the pros. But over time, TeSlaa allayed those concerns. In a Week 5 victory over Cincinnati, he beat corner Cam Taylor-Britt across the field on a drag before hauling in a 12-yard touchdown pass.
The following month, in a Thanksgiving Day loss to Green Bay, he ran a similar route while matched up against Pro Bowler Keisean Nixon, making a diving catch for 18 yards. Those two plays provided snapshots of TeSlaa’s growth, offering evidence that he had become more refined with his technique and decisive in his actions. The Lions responded by progressively putting “more on my plate,” according to TeSlaa.
“I was having success with it and really understanding what they wanted me to do,” he said. “So, they felt comfortable adding more week to week.”
In turn, TeSlaa’s average number of snaps, targets and receptions ballooned over the second half of the season – a period when LaPorta missed the final eight games because of a herniated disc. With LaPorta sidelined, TeSlaa helped fill the void, catching more touchdown passes – four – than any other Lion during the tight end’s lengthy absence.
“You begin to get trust,” Campbell said. “The trust grows among your teammates, the coaches, everybody. And so, I think ultimately you just want to feel like at some point that they feel like he’s one of theirs. ‘You’re one of us.’ And that’s where he’s at right now. TeSlaa’s done that, I feel like.”
That was evident during that Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, when Goff looked TeSlaa’s way after he maneuvered into a crowded area in the middle of the end zone. To send an anticipatory pass into such a tight window requires faith. But the quarterback had come to believe in TeSlaa, betting that he would be in the right place at the right time, ready to make the catch. Much to the Vikings’ dismay, he was.
“He’s one of those guys that broke through probably that rookie wall at some point and just kept going,” Campbell said. “And that’s what you want. Those are the guys you’re looking for.”
As Campbell implied, the future appears bright for TeSlaa.
TeSlaa certainly seems to think so. Two days before the season finale, he admitted that he was already looking forward to 2026.
“You know,” he said, smiling, “I’m excited for next year.”
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Detroit Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa set himself up for bright future in 2026
Reporting by Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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