TeSlaa Puts on Athletic “Freak” Show at NFL Combine
The NFL Draft Combine came to a close for remaining Arkansas participants Saturday as offensive skill players Andrew Armstrong, Isaac TeSlaa and Ja’Quinden took the field in Indianapolis.
Whether or not Andrew Armstrong made himself extra cash as a draft pick will be known very soon but there was another Arkansas receiver who stood out even more.
Former Hillsdale College turned Razorbacks transfer, TeSlaa posted testing scores including a total athleticism score of 96 which ranked No. 1 among receivers, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
The NFL’s Next Gen model has him rated at 70 which is tied with Georgia receiver Arian Smith at No. 27 and a 5.92 score which is directly behind Oregon’s Traeshon Holder.
Another analytical system, Relative Athletic Score, touted Teslaa as one of the top 20 most athletic wide receivers dating back to 1987, according to RAS.
Teslaa posted a time of 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 39.5 inch vertical leap, 10-foot-9-inches in the broad jump and 4.05 seconds in the short-shuttle (No. 1 among receivers) contributed to his favorable evaluation.
He caught just 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns in his FBS career at Arkansas but dazzled during the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl.
A few lesser-known talents also stood out on offense. Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa had a quietly solid week, and he had a few nice moments in the game with 19- and 16-yard receptions, along with a two-point conversion. He’s a smooth mover for a 6-2, 217-pound wideout.Senior Bowl’s Draft Writer Eric Edholm
The 6-foot-4, 215 pound draft hopeful was targeted over 60 times last season and did not drop a single pass. His journey from 0-star “Wing-T” quarterback recruit, small school All-American to SEC contributor is a pure display of work ethic, determination and grit that most NFL general managers desire in a draft pick.
After transferring in from Division II ball, TeSlaa had plenty of tape out there showing his development as an athletic receiver that it earned him “Freak” honors ahead of his first season at Arkansas in 2023.
Now, it’s up to one franchise to roll the dice and select him off heart, desire and pure athletic ability hoping it will pay off.
Earlier this week, Armstrong was considered the Razorback who stood the most to gain from his combine appearance and it wasn’t wrong.
He did just that by improving his 40-yard dash time by eight-tenths of a second to 4.51, which was last reported at 4.59 going into the event.
Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson is another Razorback who helped himself immensely with his performance at the combine.
He showed soft hands in on-field drills Saturday afternoon, a patient runner and solid blocker in pass protection on film.
Jackson was Arkansas’ leading rusher last season with almost 800 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns.
After a good showing at the combine, he’ll have an opportunity to remain a second or third day selection.
