The Detroit Lions have sported one of the best rosters in the NFL for years now, clearly proving that hiring General Manager Brad Holmes was the right move. After a rocky start to the Holmes/Dan Campbell tenure, the Lions began to figure things out roughly halfway through the 2022 NFL Season.
And while the team did miss the playoffs in 2025, the Lions have not had a losing record since 2021, so this winning has sustained itself for a near half-decade. This doesn't happen without Holmes and the rest of the front office making top-tier roster moves, especially in the NFL Draft.
It's clear that this team is plenty good enough to get back into the playoffs and to make a run in 2026, and after some latest rankings, it's also clear just how the team should do that.
Detroit Lions WR group ranked 5th in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season
Gary Davenport ranked the Lions wide receiver group fifth in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season:
"Top Three Receivers: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa
The Detroit Lions missed the postseason last year, but it certainly wasn't because of the passing game—only two teams threw for more yards per game last season.
The engine of that passing game is sixth-year wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught 100 passes for the fourth straight season last year.
The 26-year-old topped 1,100 receiving yards every game over that span and posted three years with double-digit touchdowns.
As St. Brown told reporters, he'll stack Detroit's wideout room up against any in the NFL:
'Internal competition is great. I feel like our receiver room is, I might be biased, but we have one of the best in the league. How much competition is there going to be in the receiver room? It's going to be tough, but you always want to bring guys in. Like for me, I want to have that mentality that my job is always on the line.'
Jameson Williams has become one of the league's best vertical threats, averaging 17 yards a catch over his career and topping 1,000 receiving yards each of the past two seasons. Isaac TeSlaa had just 16 receptions as a rookie, but six went for touchdowns.
It's an imposing group."
The Lions win with a high-flying offense, and having one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL certainly helps. Coming in at No. 5 in Bleacher Report's rankings, Detroit sports an elite duo with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, but Isaac TeSlaa could be on the cusp of something special.
St. Brown and Williams have both hit the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past two seasons:
2024
St. Brown: 1,263
Williams: 1,001
2025
St. Brown: 1,401
Williams: 1,117
With St. Brown, he feasts underneath as an elite slot receiver, but Williams' over the top ability is able to create a field-stretching nightmare for opposing defenses. These two skill sets complement each other perfectly, but TeSlaa, now in his second season, could add even more pizzazz to the room.
Despite catching only 16 passes in 2025, TeSlaa averaged a healthy 14.9 yards per reception, and added an insane six touchdowns. He had a success rate of 55.6 percent, which is also quite efficient.
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Digging deeper, though, you find reason to believe that TeSlaa could erupt in 2026. According to Pro Football Reference, TeSlaa had a passer rating of 112.5 when targeted, and didn't register a single drop. Fourteen of his 16 receptions also went for first downs, so, when he get did the ball thrown his way, great things happened.
Even with Jahmyr Gibbs being a high-end receiving threat for the Lions, the team still needs a consistent third receiver on offense. Fortunately, TeSlaa could fit that mold, and he'd likely see a ton of advantageous matchups.
With St. Brown and Williams, opposing defenses are already pretty strained. This could, in theory, open up a ton of easier one-on-one matchups for TeSlaa, who could (hopefully) take advantage of backup cornerbacks.
With his big-bodied profile, he'll be bigger than most, if not all defensive backs. The skill sets are present in the Lions wide receiver room for this unit to erupt even further in 2026.
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