This wasn't Isaac TeSlaa's first game at Ford Field. But it was his first game as a member of the Detroit Lions .
TeSlaa played well in the Lions ' 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins , their third preseason game, on Saturday, Aug. 16. He caught four passes on five targets, one resulting in an 18-yard touchdown reception towards the end of the first half that gave the Lions a 14-7 lead.
But he already knows about playing big at an NFL stadium — albeit with the lights a little dimmer.
The last time TeSlaa played at Ford Field was in 2018, when he led Hudsonville Unity Christian to a Division 5 state title , playing for his high school team as a quarterback . Seven years later on the same field, he's catching the touchdown passes instead of throwing them.
"I'm out there sometimes, I'm sitting on the bench and looking out at the field like, 'holy cow, this is real life for me right now,'" he said after the game on Saturday.
After his touchdown reception, one where he boxed out Dolphins cornerback Cornell Armstrong and hauled in a tough catch while in the air, he had the Lions' faithful saying "holy cow" themselves.
"There's definitely moments where I'm soaking it in, but for the most part I'm trying to keep my head focused on what I need to focus on for the game," he said.
According to Lions coach Dan Campbell, the rookie receiver has already shown rapid improvement over his first preseason games:
"TeSlaa is just continuing to grow and get more comfortable. He's getting more confident and he's making more plays. You know, I bring this up, every time those happen, you gain trust in those players."
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Starting his college career at Division II Hillsdale College before transferring to Arkansas, the West Michigan native's path to the Lions is certainly unconventional. But he wasn't the only D-II Michigander suiting up for the Lions on Saturday.
Undrafted rookie Ian Kennelly , who was born in Macomb and played from 2019-2024 at Grand Valley State, also played his first professional game at Ford Field for the Lions on Saturday. Like TeSlaa, he brings a D-II pedigree to an NFL contender.
Unlike TeSlaa, however, he's likely still fighting to make the team outright.
"It's not always going to be pretty," he said. "There's going to be some growing pains, some mistakes. But you know, (I'm) just learning from those mistakes and just trying to correct those the next time I go out there."
Kennelly got his opportunities on Saturday to audition for a role as a backup safety, but struggled to stand out, assisting on just two tackles after recording six in his preseason debut against the Los Angeles Chargers .
Still, he took some time to appreciate the moment.
"It was exciting," he said. "Running out of that tunnel myself, it was special. But once the ball is put down, and once the whistle blows, it's time to play football."
The Lions as a whole didn't put their best foot forward against the Dolphins on Saturday, with many young players running out of time to make a strong impression before the regular season begins.
TeSlaa and Kennelly likely went home with different impressions of their day, one the exciting third-round draft pick, and the other an undrafted safety looking to keep his underdog story going. Kennelly, especially, knows what he needs to do if he wants to keep playing for the Lions on Sundays:
"Now it's time to clean up the mistakes and just keep improving each day, showing up each day with something to work on at practice. So it's just the little details for me."
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan natives Isaac TeSlaa, Ian Kennelly make debut at Ford Field
