Practice with Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa: One-on-ones and a final-play highlight

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Each training camp, I try to shadow one Detroit Lions player for an entire day of practice, hoping to offer insight into how the team operates, how certain players are developing and what they’re being asked to do.

This year, I picked second-year wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. This is one of my favorite exercises of training camp. I end up learning quite a bit, and hopefully readers do, too. Here’s everything I saw from him Sunday.

10:30 a.m.: It’s a humid, gloomy Sunday morning in Allen Park, and TeSlaa begins his day with a special teams drill. TeSlaa, participating on the Lions’ punt team, was tasked with pinning the ball inside the 5-yard line with assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins and a few others. Yes, even starting receivers play special teams over here.

10:35 a.m.: The whole team gets together for stretching. TeSlaa sprints to the wide receiver line.

10:38 a.m.: Skill players break away for a contact drill after stretching. Three practice pads are placed on the ground. The skill player must shuffle feet in a circle low to the ground, pop up, then burst through hanging weighted bags to simulate contact.

10:42 a.m.: Time for the individual period. Receivers run over to the far sideline for a series of drills, led by receivers coach/assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery. TeSlaa is first in line for each drill today. On the initial drill, receivers are asked to run a quick out, as they await a pass. There are practice dummies lined up in front of their route. The ball is thrown between the dummies. It’s a concentration drill that asks receivers to make catches through chaos. TeSlaa catches the ball on both of his attempts.

10:45 a.m.: Montgomery is explaining the next drill. Receivers are asked to run a hitch, but when they work back to the ball, they must fight through a pair of practice dummies, evade a towel tossed in their face and make the catch. Another concentration drill. Montgomery is emphasizing that this morning — as he has most of training camp. Again, TeSlaa catches both attempts.

10:50 a.m.: Individual period is over. The QBs, WRs, RBs and TEs gather for routes versus air. The Lions set up their QB-WR pairing based on the depth chart. TeSlaa, Jameson Williams (not at practice Sunday) and Amon-Ra St. Brown typically catch passes from Jared Goff. Up first: hitch routes. Receivers run 5 to 7 yards, cut inside, catch the ball and turn upfield. Easy enough.

10:52 a.m.: Same thing, this time with slants. No problem for No. 18. However, Montgomery has words for TeSlaa — or  “Tes,” as he calls him — reminding him to turn upfield.

10:54 a.m.: Next up, corner routes. TeSlaa catches his, tiptoes the sideline, then turns upfield. The crowd likes what it sees.

10:56 a.m.: Ending the period with more hitch routes. Goff points out TeSlaa, indicating he wants him for the rep. Goff fires off the throw with velocity before TeSlaa is out of his break. His pass appears to catch TeSlaa off guard, but he reels it in, stumbles and turns upfield. However, a do-over follows. It’s unclear who initiated the repeat, but the second time around, Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing verbally approves.

10:57 a.m.: Quick water break. It’s still cloudy, humid and muggy. A couple sips, a couple drips down the shoulder pads, then back to work.

10:58 a.m.: Time for one-on-ones with DBs. Admittedly, this is where TeSlaa has struggled in camp. He’s a bigger receiver with 4.43 speed, but Lions cornerbacks are physical and know how to play man coverage. They’ll jam you at the line of scrimmage, make you work through contact and come down with contested catches. It’s a good test for a young receiver like TeSlaa.

“The biggest thing is just using my size,” TeSlaa told me. “Obviously, I can watch guys like Jamo and Saint run these routes, but it’s gonna look different for me because I’m a bigger body. I’ve got more to move. I’m a little bit bigger, heavier. It’s not a disadvantage; it’s just a difference in body type, receiver type. I’m just learning what works for me and just adding that to my game.”

10:58 a.m.: It’s time for the first of two reps for TeSlaa. His initial matchup? Veteran Rock Ya-Sin. TeSlaa is running a go route down the right sideline, with Goff throwing to him. Goff lofts a 50-50 ball high in the air, giving his receiver a chance to come down with it. TeSlaa uses his size and vertical to high-point the ball, has it in his hands, but can’t come down with it. Ya-Sin fights hard to knock it out as gravity pulls them down. The crowd reacts excitedly to what would’ve been the highlight of the day before the ball pops loose. Montgomery has some words for TeSlaa. Hard to fault him, but we’ve seen him come down with those before.

11 a.m.: Time for TeSlaa’s second one-on-one rep. Goff and TeSlaa discuss what they want to run, then TeSlaa lines up on the outside versus Khalil Dorsey. TeSlaa runs a hitch, but it’s almost as if Dorsey knows it’s coming. Dorsey, draped over TeSlaa, breaks up the pass without hesitation. Excellent rep for him. TeSlaa lines up for one more rep, but the period ends before his third attempt.

11:05 a.m.: After some kickoff work, the first-team offense takes the field from its own 1-yard line. It’s a situational period to simulate the offense being backed up in its own territory. Jahmyr Gibbs gets the ball on a rush attempt, with TeSlaa blocking cornerback D.J. Reed on the outside. On the next play, Aidan Hutchinson gets in the backfield on a checkdown to Gibbs. Personally, I’d call it a sack. On the next play, TeSlaa runs a crosser on a pass to St. Brown. TeSlaa exits the field. When it’s time to check back in, he goes in motion before a block attempt. His final rep in the period is a post route, though he isn’t targeted. After the first-team offense was done, TeSlaa takes a knee on the sideline by himself.

I noticed TeSlaa spent a lot of his day by himself. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure whether it was intentional — if he’s a guy who likes to be alone — or it was just one of those days. I made sure to ask.

“It depends on the day,” TeSlaa said. “Today was kind of a bigger workload for me. Without Jamo practicing, I had to switch to the X. I’ve been repping Z since the beginning of OTAs, so I was trying to lock in as much as possible. Most of the time, I like to have fun out there with the guys. … I was like, ‘I gotta be on my s— today.’”

Some good context from TeSlaa. The fact that a receiver as young as TeSlaa is asked to handle both positions on the fly speaks to the Lions’ trust in him.

TeSlaa protects the ball while running through a drill during a Lions practice earlier in training camp. (Junfu Han / Imagn Images)

11:18 a.m.: The Lions mixed in quite a bit of special teams work over the next hour or so of practice, but they were back out for a team period about a quarter past 11. TeSlaa takes the field with the first-team offense, but he isn’t targeted. St. Brown catches a quick out from Goff, Sione Vaki takes a carry up the middle, and just like that, TeSlaa is out.

11:20 a.m.: TeSlaa, on the sideline, is about to run back in. After three steps, he stops, retreats to the sideline, then playfully shoves assistant WRs coach Bruce Gradkowski. Looks like a false alarm. The two have fun with it, and TeSlaa checks in for the next play.

11:22 a.m.: TeSlaa and St. Brown are lined up on the same side of the field, and they run routes that have them end up in a similar spot. Looks like a possible miscommunication. The two discuss after the play, and St. Brown slaps the back of TeSlaa’s helmet as they reach an understanding and jog to the sideline.

11:25 a.m.: Rain starts to fall. Before long, it’s pouring. Nothing like 85-degree weather and rain on a Sunday in the Midwest. Reporters run for cover. It’s hard to take notes on wet pages, but we power through. Another special teams period that lasts for roughly 15 minutes.

11:40 a.m.: Another team period. TeSlaa takes the field with the first-team offense, but there isn’t much to see. Hutchinson blows up the opening play for a sack. On the next play, TeSlaa blocks Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on a run play, away from the action. On the play after that, Hutchinson sacks Goff again, bull-rushing Penei Sewell into QB1 and forcing him to the ground. The crowd didn’t love it, but everyone was OK. Monster day for Hutch, in case that wasn’t clear. TeSlaa briefly checks out before returning a few plays later. He runs a hitch route, as Goff is flushed out of the pocket. TeSlaa changes his route and tries to work back to his QB on the run. Good instincts, but Goff opts for St. Brown instead. Pass falls incomplete.

11:50 a.m.: Red zone period. Not much work for TeSlaa. He runs a corner route and isn’t targeted. He goes in motion and blocks on a run to Gibbs. Goff finds Gibbs on a screen without much room to work. A good showing for the defense.

I was curious to hear TeSlaa’s thoughts on the lack of targets in team periods. Up to this point, I don’t recall a single ball going his way. Is it frustrating when the ball doesn’t find him?

“I don’t expect the ball every play,” TeSlaa said. “We’ve got way too much talent on this offense to expect that. I’m just gonna do what I can, whether it’s trying to get myself open or running routes to get other guys open. I’m just gonna try to do my part, and when the ball comes my way, I just gotta make plays.”

His patience paid off in a major way as practice came to an end.

12:16 p.m.: Here’s the situation. The score is 27-21. The offense is down and needs a touchdown to win. After a few plays, it’s fourth-and-12 from the 17-yard line. Time is winding down. It’s a gotta-have-it moment. TeSlaa is lined up on the outside against Rakestraw, who’s in man coverage. Goff checks TeSlaa’s route to a fade, and TeSlaa is ready for his close-up. The ball is snapped, Goff lofts it down the left sideline and lets his big-bodied receiver make a play. TeSlaa comes down with the ball in the end zone, spikes it and is swarmed by Sam LaPorta and others. The crowd erupts. I ask TeSlaa to walk me through it.

“JG changed my route to a fade,” TeSlaa told me. “Saw the guy press, so I just, you know, won at the line. Was big and physical, shed him off me, got my eyes up and then the ball — you know, sometimes you think you can track those like that (demonstrates an over-the-shoulder catch), but I prefer just going up and getting stuff. Just rising above the defender and snatching it away from him.”

12:20 p.m.: Dan Campbell huddles the team. Practice is over.

TeSlaa has a ton of natural talent, which is why the Lions traded several picks to move up for him in the 2025 NFL Draft. He also has a lot to learn as a second-year receiver. It’s nothing new. I wrote a similar piece on Williams in 2023, and it’s astonishing how far he’s come since.

There are going to be ups and downs, days when the ball comes his way and days when it doesn’t. But TeSlaa has the right mindset for a player who isn’t the focal point of this offense. As he grows into his role as a first-year starter, he’ll remember days like Sunday.