The Detroit Lions fell in love with wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the scouting process, and now it’s been revealed that the team had to fend off another motivated suitor in order to land him.
The Lions made a big jump up the NFL draft board on Day 2 to land the Arkansas pass-catcher, trading up 32 spots to the No. 70 pick. Lions general manager Brad Holmes shared some big praise for TeSlaa after the draft, saying he can be a strong contributor both for the passing and running games.
A new report reveals that another team was interested in trading up to take TeSlaa, but lost out to a motivated Lions team.
Lions Made Winning Bid for Isaac TeSlaa
As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire reported, the Lions got into a bidding war with the Los Angeles Rams for the right to trade up into the Jacksonville Jaguars’ spot at No. 70 overall.
The Athletic’s Michael Silver revealed that Jaguars general manager James Gladstone received several offers for the pick, with the Lions offering more.
“Shortly after the third round began, another potential option surfaced: The Detroit Lions called, floating a possible trade that would send their third-round pick (No. 102) and a pair of 2026 third-rounders to the Jags for the 70th selection, a fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder,” Silver wrote. “The Lions still weren’t sure they wanted to do the deal, but they were laying groundwork.”
The Rams got in the mix quickly after that, Silver reported.
“A few seconds later, Gladstone got an offer from the Rams: their second-round pick next year for the 70th selection,” Silver wrote. “Now there were three scenarios: Try to close the trade with the Lions; accept the trade with the Rams; or stand pat and take the player they wanted.”
The Jaguars made a counter-offer to the Lions, asking for the fifth-round pick they were sending to be a sixth instead. The Lions agreed, and Jacksonville took the offer after the Rams decided not to offer any more.
Lions See Big Potential in Isaac TeSlaa
Holmes said the team fell in love with TeSlaa at the Senior Bowl, where it was actually his run blocking that stood out at first. But Holmes also loved TeSlaa’s route running and overall versatility, suggesting he will be playing both on offense and special teams in the coming season.
“You see a guy that’s big, long, smooth strider, can accelerate, can run,” Holmes said, via the team’s official website. “He’s a hands catcher. He plays special teams and can block. He can do a lot of things.”
The Lions could have a looming opening at wide receiver as Jameson Williams faces an uncertain future. The Lions just picked up the fifth-year option on the former first-rounder, but have not been able to reach an agreement on a longer-term contract extension.
Williams has shown flashes of brilliant play but also struggled at times both on and off the field. He was handed two separate suspensions by the NFL, one for gambling and the other for violating the league’s rules against performance-enhancing drugs.
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