Lions' Isaac TeSlaa one-handed catch made franchise history, too

Billy Heyen

Lions' Isaac TeSlaa one-handed catch made franchise history, too image

Isaac TeSlaa's one-handed catch may have been meaningless to the outcome of the Detroit Lions' Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers.

But it had plenty of meaning to the rookie and in the history books.

It was TeSlaa's first NFL touchdown, and he may never snag a better one.

And in the process, he became just the 10th player in the long history of the Lions to catch a touchdown in his NFL debut. That stat comes courtesy of ESPN's Eric Woodyard

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It's been quite the rise for TeSlaa, who is a native of Hudsonville, Michigan.

His dad played college football at Division II Hillsdale College, and that's where TeSlaa began his college career.

His only Division I offer was from FCS-level Valparaiso.

TesLaa was a star in 2021 at Hillsdale with 45 catches for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.

The next year, he was a superstar: 68 catches, 1,325 yards and 13 TDs.

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After that, he transferred to Arkansas.

With the Razorbacks in 2023, he had 34 catches for 351 yards.

Then in 2024, he had 28 grabs for 545 yards with some great explosiveness.

He ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and the Lions chose him in the third round.

Now he's their No. 3 wide receiver and has a chance to grow into a star.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle