Undoubtedly, the most debated move the Detroit Lions made during the 2025 NFL Draft was their bold decision to trade up from pick 102 to No. 70 to select Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
This selection earned the lowest fan grade and is the overwhelming favorite for “least popular pick” due to its perceived overreach and the value Detroit gave up to get him.
Michael Silver of The Athletic had rare behind-the-scenes access to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ draft war room and closely observed the Lions’ attempt to finalize this trade. He detailed how, early in Round 3, Jacksonville considered Detroit’s offer alongside another from the Rams, who proposed a future second-round pick for the No. 70 spot.
The Jaguars eventually chose Detroit’s offer, though the Lions were still undecided about pulling the trigger—Jacksonville suspected their target was Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte, who was taken at pick 66.
With the Jaguars now on the clock, the Rams retracted their offer after missing out on Gillotte, and Detroit finally gave the go-ahead. But there was a snag: a communication error.
“Then things got dicey,” Silver reported. “[Jaguars director of player finance Trip] MacCracken finalized the trade with [Lions COO Mike] Disner, and both contacted the NFL rep to confirm the deal. However, a delay in league communication slowed things down.”
As the clock neared 90 seconds, the trade still hadn’t processed—prompting a call from Lions GM Brad Holmes.
“Hey,” Holmes asked, “are we gonna be able to make this deal, or what?”
Eventually, the deal was completed, and the Lions secured TeSlaa “with seconds to spare,” according to Silver.
Considering how pivotal the trade was, it’s worth imagining how different Detroit’s draft class might’ve looked had the deal not gone through in time.