Phoenix — Detroit Lions receiver Isaac TeSlaa was a walking highlight reel in his rookie season despite a low volume of touches, turning 27 targets into 16 catches with a whopping six touchdowns.
Upon being reminded of this at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Phoenix this week, Lions coach Dan Campbell braced for a natural follow-up question: “I thought you were gonna say, ‘Why don’t you throw to him more?'”
But really, it’s a genuine question, and one that persisted throughout the entirety of TeSlaa’s rookie season. General manager Brad Holmes traded both of this year’s third-round picks to move up in the draft and select him with a third-round pick.
And he hit.
TeSlaa was marvelous when Jared Goff looked his way, kicking off his NFL career with a contender for catch of the year, a one-handed, fully extended snag against the Green Bay Packers that many declared was the best first TD catch by a player in NFL history. He followed it up with a one-handed grab down the sideline against the Chicago Bears the next week. Most of his catches — and especially his touchdowns — were legitimately dazzling.
After Detroit moved on from veteran Kalif Raymond in free agency, TeSlaa is now firmly Detroit’s No. 3 receiver entering 2026. And now that the Lions know what they have in him, you can expect Campbell to make him a focal point of the operation.
“We feel like he’s taken off,” Campbell said. “We feel like he was one of those guys that really — you’d be hard-pressed to say that he didn’t make the most growth of a rookie. Now, Tyleik (Williams) did a great job. We thought (Tate) Ratledge got better.
“But man, I really thought TeSlaa — it’s not easy for a receiver. It’s not easy for any of them. … There were some games we lost (Amon-Ra St. Brown), he had to go in and play that position. Right before the game, second play of the game, he’s got to do it all. So we like him. He’s got a bright future for us.”
Realistically, working TeSlaa into the offense was always going to be a process. Detroit not only has an arsenal of offensive weapons at every position, but TeSlaa’s ability as a go-and-get-it type of guy doesn’t jibe well with Goff’s quarterbacking style, which is to hit schemed-open receivers in stride and stay away from jump-ball scenarios where the ball is put in harm’s way.
But as TeSlaa develops a more sophisticated route tree and a better rapport with Goff, his sticky hands and absurd range could make him one of the most trusted targets on the team going forward, especially in the red zone.
“He can do it all. He’s tough, he’s big. … Body control and catch radius is, I think, kind of his trick,” Campbell said.
But when it comes to his best attribute — the thing that really sets him apart from other receivers around the league?
“His hair,” Campbell said.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Lions believe Isaac TeSlaa has ‘taken off’ after rookie season
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
