The Detroit Lions caught many folks off guard by aggressively trading up in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. It turns out, the deal barely came together at all.

Michael Silver of The Athletic was embedded in the Jacksonville Jaguars war room during the draft, focusing on Jags rookie GM James Gladstone. While the Jaguars made a much bigger trade in the first round to go get Heisman winner Travis Hunter, there was no less drama surrounding Jacksonville’s third-round slot at 70th overall pick and teams trying to trade up for it.

Shortly after the third round began, another potential option surfaced: The Detroit Lions called, floating a possible trade that would send their third-round pick (No. 102) and a pair of 2026 third-rounders to the Jags for the 70th selection, a fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. The Lions still weren’t sure they wanted to do the deal, but they were laying groundwork.

A few seconds later, Gladstone got an offer from the Rams: their second-round pick next year for the 70th selection.

Now there were three scenarios: Try to close the trade with the Lions; accept the trade with the Rams; or stand pat and take the player they wanted.

The two teams involved here are interesting in that Gladstone previously worked for the Rams. In fact, he took over Lions GM Brad Holmes’ old role with Los Angeles when Holmes came to Detroit to run the Lions. The familiarity didn’t hurt, as it helped facilitate a smooth on-the-clock trade negotiation that saw the Lions win out. That helps explain the bidding war and the seemingly high cost to move up for TeSlaa.

Also interesting: The Jaguars initially thought the Lions were moving up for Louisville EDGE Ashton Gillotte, who Jacksonville was also prepared to draft at No. 70. However, Gillotte came off the board at No. 66. That helped liberate the pick for Detroit, who took TeSlaa. Gillotte was a player I had strongly suspected the Lions were interested in at this range of the draft, and knowing that belief was shared by Holmes’ former underling helps validate the interest.