The Lions' biggest risk in the draft could turn out to be their highest reward or biggest regret
I think it's safe to say that with the NFL Draft, everything is a risk that you're hoping to get a reward out of. But there can definitely be some really high risks that you can either get a higher reward out of or you can regret for the rest of your days. For the […]
I think it's safe to say that with the NFL Draft, everything is a risk that you're hoping to get a reward out of. But there can definitely be some really high risks that you can either get a higher reward out of or you can regret for the rest of your days.
For the Lions, that big risk was Arkansas receiver Isaac TeSlaa. Make no mistake about it, the body and the athleticism are there for TeSlaa. He's 6-foot-4, 214 pounds and runs a 4.43 40-yard dash. That alone is worth the pick most of the time.
The thing that's scary and makes it feel like a risk is that TeSlaa doesn't have a lot to show when it comes to what he did on the field in Division 1 football.
He was tremendous in Division II for Hillsdale in 2022 with 68 receptions for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns. But at Arkansas, he topped out at 28 receptions for 545 yards and three touchdowns.
To be completely fair, Arkansas had one of the worst offenses in the country while TeSlaa was there. Quarterback Taylen Green struggled in 2024, and Arkansas was much more of a run-first team as well.
When you watch the film on TeSlaa, you can see why the Lions took him. That speed shows on the field, he can high point the ball well, and he blocks like crazy. If all this stuff translates, it's the biggest steal of Holmes' career.
Drafting TeSlaa wasn't really the risk. Picking him where they took him and what they had to give up to take him is where the risk is. Nobody thought TeSlaa would go in the third. He was projected to go in the fifth or the sixth round,
The Lions moved up from 102nd to 71 to get him, and they traded their third-round pick and two future third-round picks to get him. That likely means there was another team that was interested in taking him high. Maybe it was the Broncos who took Pat Bryant at 74.
This pick should work out for the Lions. In fact I fully expect it to. TeSlaa should supplant Tim Patrick for that WR3 spot this year, and he's likely to shock some draft experts and pundits with his ability on the field. But if it doesn't work out, this could be looked at as Brad Holmes' biggest mistake. We'll see what happens.
