TeSlaa, Jackson selected in third round of NFL Draft

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Isaac TeSlaa and Landon Jackson heard their names called in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday night with TeSlaa going 70th overall to Detroit and Jackson not long after at 72nd overall to Buffalo. The duo going in the third round gives Arkansas 30 consecutive Drafts with at least one Hog being called and marks the first time two Razorbacks have been selected in the third round since 2022 when Drew Sanders and Ricky Stromberg were selected.

TeSlaa came off the board when he became the 16th Razorback to be selected by Detroit and first since Frank Ragnow went 20th overall in 2018. TeSlaa – a Michigan native – will join former Hogs Ragnow and Dan Skipper on the Lions’ roster. TeSlaa is the highest selected Arkansas wide receiver since Treylon Burks went in the first round to Tennessee in 2022.

In two seasons at Arkansas after transferring from Division II Hillsdale College, TeSlaa caught 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns. As a senior in 2024, he recorded 28 catches for 545 yards and three touchdowns. In his first season on The Hill, he posted 34 receptions for 351 yards and a pair of scores. His performance at the Hula Bowl earned him an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which led to his invitation to the NFL Combine. TeSlaa’s performance at the Combine was one of the best ever by a wide receiver that saw him run 4.43 in the 40-yard dash while posting a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches.

At Hillsdale, he was the Great Midwest American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and team MVP after hauling in 68 passes for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior in 2022. In his three seasons at Hillsdale, he caught 118 passes for 2,116 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Jackson’s selection of 72nd overall makes him the highest drafted Arkansas defensive lineman since Jamaal Anderson went eighth overall to the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. Jackson is the first Razorback defensive lineman to be selected since John Ridgeway was taken in the fifth round by Dallas in 2022 and the first Arkansas player to be drafted by the Bills since Jonathan Williams in 2016.

Jackson earned All-SEC Second Team honors from both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press following his senior season in 2024 after earning first-team honors from the league’s coaches in 2023. He led the Hogs in sacks and tackles for loss for the second straight season, recording 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss last season. The Texarkana, Texas product became the first Razorback to lead the team in tackles for loss and sacks in consecutive seasons since Wayne Martin – a first-round pick in 1989 – did so from 1986-88. Jackson is the first Hog to lead Arkansas in sacks in consecutive regular seasons since Chris Smith – a fifth-round selection in 2014 – accomplished the feat in 2012-13. He logged a four-game sack streak from Oct. 26-Nov. 23, becoming the first Hog to register 1.0+ sacks in four consecutive games since Deatrich Wise Jr. – a fourth-round pick – in 2015. Jackson finished his career as the only Razorback since 1997 to register 8+ total tackles, 3+ tackles for loss and 2+ sacks in multiple games, having accomplished the achievement twice.

A transfer from LSU, Jackson made an immediate impact upon his arrival on The Hill in 2022. He played in all 13 games with seven starts, making 23 tackles with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. In three seasons at Arkansas, he collected 116 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks over 42 games. His 16 sacks ended a half sack shy of cracking the program’s career Top 10.

The NFL Draft continues live from Green Bay, Wisc. on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network with rounds 4-7 on Saturday.