Lions Faced Competition in Pricey Draft Trade to Land WR Isaac TeSlaa

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, head coach Dan Campbell emphasized the need for the Detroit Lions to get younger at wide receiver — a request the front office acted on by trading up in the third round to select Isaac TeSlaa.

The move came at a steep cost. Detroit traded its No. 102 pick in this year’s draft along with two third-round picks in 2026 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In return, the Lions received picks No. 70 and 182 in 2024, plus a sixth-rounder in 2025.

The Lions used the 70th pick to take TeSlaa, but they weren’t the only team eyeing that spot. According to The Athletic’s Michael Silver, the Los Angeles Rams also pursued the Jaguars’ selection, reportedly offering their 2025 second-round pick. This competition likely drove up the asking price for Detroit.

The cost raised some eyebrows, especially given that the Giants used a similar package — two third-rounders and a second — to move into the first round to draft QB Jaxson Dart. For the Lions to give up comparable capital for a third-round receiver suggests they have high expectations for TeSlaa.

This trade also marks the second consecutive year the Lions will be without their own third-round selection and involved both compensatory picks received from Aaron Glenn’s head coaching hire.

Detroit later flipped part of the return — pick No. 182 — along with No. 228 to the Patriots in exchange for pick No. 171, which they used to draft offensive lineman Miles Frazier.