Isaac TeSlaa
TeSlaa at the 2025 Senior Bowl | |||||||||||
| No. 18 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | February 20, 2002 Hudsonville, Michigan | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Unity Christian (Hudsonville, Michigan) | ||||||||||
| College | Hillsdale (2020–2022) Arkansas (2023–2024) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 3rd round, 70th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2025 | |||||||||||
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Isaac TeSlaa (teh-SLAH;[1] born February 20, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hillsdale Chargers and Arkansas Razorbacks. He was selected by the Lions in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life
TeSlaa is from Hudsonville, Michigan.[2] His father, Mark, played college football as a wide receiver for the Hillsdale Chargers.[3] TeSlaa grew up playing football as a quarterback and became a starter at Unity Christian High School as a junior.[4] He led Unity Christian to the state championship that season, the first in school history.[5] He then helped Unity Christian reach the state playoff semifinals in 2019, and that year he threw for 448 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns.[6]
In addition to participating in football, TeSlaa also helped the basketball team to a state championship and competed in track and field, setting the school long jump record.[7] He was lightly recruited and only had a single NCAA Division I offer, from the FCS-level Valparaiso Beacons.[4] However, instead of joining the Beacons, TeSlaa opted to sign with the Hillsdale Chargers, where his father and several other family members had attended.[4]
College career
Hillsdale
TeSlaa became a wide receiver at Hillsdale and became a starter during his freshman season.[4] In the COVID-19-shortened 2020–21 season, he caught five passes for 93 yards.[3] He then led the team in the fall 2021 season with 45 receptions for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.[8] He was named second-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference and placed third in the league in touchdown catches and fourth in receiving yards.[3] In the 2022 season, he was one of the top NCAA Division II wide receivers, totaling 68 receptions for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns while being named the conference offensive player of the year.[4] He was also named an honorable mention All-American and recorded seven games with at least 100 yards, finishing with an average of over 120 yards per game.[3] He appeared in a total of 26 games in his tenure at Hillsdale, starting 24 of them and totaling 118 receptions for 2,116 yards and 19 touchdowns.[9]
Arkansas
TeSlaa transferred to the Arkansas Razorbacks following his third season at Hillsdale.[10] He was the team's second-leading receiver during the 2023 season, recording 34 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns.[11] He returned for the 2024 season and recorded 28 receptions for 545 yards and three touchdowns, finishing his two-year stint with the Razorbacks having caught 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns in 25 games played, 17 of which he started.[7] He declared for the NFL draft after the season and was invited to the 2025 Senior Bowl.[7][12]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020–21 | Hillsdale | 3 | 0 | 5 | 93 | 18.6 | 0 |
| 2021 | Hillsdale | 12 | 10 | 45 | 698 | 15.5 | 6 |
| 2022 | Hillsdale | 11 | 11 | 68 | 1,325 | 19.5 | 13 |
| 2023 | Arkansas | 12 | 12 | 34 | 351 | 10.3 | 2 |
| 2024 | Arkansas | 13 | 5 | 28 | 545 | 19.5 | 3 |
| D-II career | 26 | 21 | 118 | 2,116 | 17.9 | 19 | |
| FBS career | 25 | 17 | 62 | 896 | 14.5 | 5 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
214 lb (97 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.43 s | 1.51 s | 2.61 s | 4.05 s | 6.85 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) |
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
17 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[13][14] | ||||||||||||
TeSlaa was selected in the third round (70th overall) of the 2025 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.[15] In his NFL debut against the Green Bay Packers, TeSlaa caught his first professional touchdown on a thirteen-yard one-handed catch from quarterback Jared Goff.[16]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2025 | DET | 13 | 2 | 8 | 120 | 15.0 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 13 | 2 | 8 | 120 | 15.0 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- ^ "Arkansas Football Pronunciation Guide". Arkansas Razorbacks. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Isaac TeSlaa". ESPN.
- ^ a b c d "Isaac TeSlaa". Arkansas Razorbacks.
- ^ a b c d e Fuller, Jackson (September 21, 2023). "How Isaac TeSlaa went from a QB with one D-1 offer to a starting WR for Arkansas football". Southwest Times Record.
- ^ Harig, Zach (November 21, 2018). "Junior Isaac TeSlaa helps Unity Christian to first-ever state title appearance". Fox17Online.com.
- ^ VanDyke, John (January 9, 2023). "Former Unity Christian standout announces college football decision date". MLive.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025 – via archive.ph.
- ^ a b c Nothaft, Patrick (January 7, 2025). "Former West Michigan prep football star declares for NFL draft". MLive.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025 – via archive.ph.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (January 10, 2023). "Highly touted WR transfer TeSlaa pledges to Arkansas". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ Kirk, Otis (November 21, 2024). "Isaac TeSlaa wants last home game as a Razorback to be great". NWAHomePage.com.
- ^ Hutton, Jason (January 11, 2023). "Isaac TeSlaa chooses Arkansas for next stop in football career". Fox17Online.com.
- ^ Murphy, Tom (December 9, 2023). "TeSlaa says he will be back with Razorbacks". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ Kadlick, Mike (January 29, 2025). "Senior Bowl 2025 Rosters: Who Will Be Playing in This Year's Game?". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Isaac TeSlaa Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Isaac TeSlaa College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Reisman, Jeremy (April 25, 2025). "Detroit Lions trade up again, select Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa". Pride Of Detroit. SB Nation. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "WATCH: Lions rookie Isaac TeSlaa makes insane one-handed touchdown catch vs. Packers for first career score". CBSSports.com. September 7, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.