The Detroit Lions appear ready to give rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa more opportunities.
The third-round pick out of Arkansas starred in the preseason, catching 10 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in each of the three games he appeared in and was seventh in receiving yards among all players in the preseason.
The Lions traded veteran wideout Tim Patrick to Jacksonville just before the season, which said a lot about their confidence in TeSlaa to contribute right away.
And the hype train only picked up steam when, in his NFL debut, TeSlaa hauled in a ridiculous one-handed touchdown towards the end of Detroit’s 27-13 road loss to the Green Bay Packers in the season opener.
He only played three snaps in that game, which head coach Dan Campbell said was part of an effort to not overwhelm the rookie after he was limited in practice last week due to illness.
"We really wanted to try and get him involved last week but then he got sick and missed a lot of practice so then we didn't feel comfortable trying to load him up," Campbell said. "So, it was going to be very limited."
Offensive coordinator John Morton spoke highly of TeSlaa on Thursday and said more was on the horizon for the rookie receiver.
“His catching ability is big time,” Morton said. ”He’s smart and he’s tough. He didn’t have a lot of plays in the game, but he came in and that was an unbelievable catch. So his role will be expanded. He will help us.”
Morton said he felt good about TeSlaa's grasp of the offense and that the rookie will be “ready to go” for Week 2’s home opener against the Chicago Bears.
TeSlaa ready to take on more responsibility in Lions' offense
TeSlaa was a raw prospect out of Arkansas who only caught 28 passes for 545 yards and three touchdowns his final year in college. His route-running certainly needs more polish, but the Lions fell in love with his athleticism, size and hands. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, recorded a 39-inch vertical and stands at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds.
General manager Brad Holmes called TeSlaa his favorite wide receiver in the draft, and put his money where his mouth was when he traded the No. 102 pick and two third round picks in next year’s draft to move up and pick him 70th overall.
Detroit has an All-Pro slot receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown and one of the league’s premier deep threats in Jameson Williams. If TeSlaa can step into the role of X receiver who can win one-on-ones and make contested catches, while also being a willing blocker, it could add a whole new dimension to Detroit’s offense. The unit could use something of a spark after Sunday’s performance in Green Bay.
“We’d like to use him more,” Campbell said Monday. “I mean, there’s something there. Looks like he’s back and feels pretty good, and that was good to see him make a play…. we’re gonna start trying to get him some reps.”