Most contenders ease their rookies in. The 2026 Detroit Lions never got that luxury. Five weeks into the season, this draft class is already holding down a starting receiver spot, the right tackle job, and real snaps across the defensive front and secondary. Isaac TeSlaa has been the headliner, but he is not the only first year player Detroit is leaning on. Here are the Lions rookies to watch and what each of them has actually done so far.
Isaac TeSlaa Is Already the Third Receiver
TeSlaa did not need long to move up the Lions depth chart. By the Week 5 depth chart he was listed as a starting wide receiver alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and the production backs up the promotion. In Week 3 against the Jets he caught all three of his targets for 66 yards, then followed it a week later with four catches on eight targets for 95 yards at Carolina, both team relevant numbers in games where the passing game needed a third option to punish defenses for doubling St. Brown.
The role is a perfect fit for how this offense is built. St. Brown owns the short and intermediate areas, Jameson Williams stretches the field vertically, and TeSlaa works everything in between with the size to win contested throws. Thirty-one snaps against the Jets turned into real trust from Jared Goff, and the targets have followed. Rookie receivers usually take half a season to earn that. TeSlaa did it in a month.
Blake Miller and the Rest of the Young Core
The boldest bet in this class is at right tackle. When Penei Sewell slid over to the left side, Detroit handed the right tackle job to rookie Blake Miller, and he has made four starts through five weeks, missing only the Week 2 trip to Buffalo with an injury. The early returns are genuinely encouraging: Miller ranks first among rookie offensive tackles with a pass blocking grade of 79.3, according to Sports Illustrated’s first quarter rookie report, and veteran Larry Borom’s struggles in his one start against Buffalo only underlined why the coaches trusted the rookie. Nine pressures allowed says the polish is still coming, but a starting tackle found outside the top of the draft is a win.
On the defensive line, Skyler Gill-Howard has carved out a rotational role at defensive tackle behind starter Tyleik Williams, and Detroit is asking him to be an interior pass rusher right away. He played 35 snaps in the Week 5 win at Arizona and held his own. Edge rusher Derrick Moore is on a slower track: he has appeared in all five games and recorded four pressures, but he is still waiting on his first sack, partly because D.J. Wonnum has been a revelation with five sacks of his own.
In the secondary, cornerback Keith Abney II has quietly become a real piece of the rotation. He backs up D.J. Reed on the Lions roster, can slide inside to nickel, and played 59 snaps at Arizona in Week 5, grading out as one of Detroit’s best defenders that day. Linebacker Jimmy Rolder is trending the same direction, with his role growing as the season goes on. None of these players were supposed to be finished products in October. All of them are playing.
What This Class Says About Brad Holmes
General manager Brad Holmes has built his reputation on draft classes that stock the roster with starters a year or two down the road. The 2026 class is different in one respect: the timeline collapsed. Holmes drafted for need at premium positions, tackle, receiver, edge, corner, and then Dan Campbell’s staff actually played them, because a team with championship expectations had holes that only cheap young talent could fill.
That is the deeper story here. Detroit’s veteran core is expensive, from Jared Goff’s contract down through the extensions for St. Brown and Sewell, and the only way to keep a window like this open is to hit on rookie deals. A starting right tackle, a starting receiver, and three defensive contributors on first year contracts is how good teams stay good. As our Lions 2026 season preview put it in September, this roster’s ceiling depends on its young core growing up fast. Five weeks in, the growth is ahead of schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Lions’ best rookie in 2026? Isaac TeSlaa has the strongest case so far. He won the third receiver job outright and produced 66 yards against the Jets and 95 yards at Carolina in back to back weeks, while Blake Miller’s work at right tackle is a close second given the difficulty of the position.
Is Isaac TeSlaa a starter for the Lions? Yes. The Week 5 depth chart lists TeSlaa as a starting wide receiver next to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and he has already seen eight targets in a single game at Carolina.
How has Blake Miller played at right tackle? Better than most rookie tackles. He has made four starts, leads rookie offensive tackles with a 79.3 pass blocking grade, and has allowed nine pressures through five weeks while the run game has leaned on his side.
Which Lions rookies play on defense? Defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard, edge rusher Derrick Moore, cornerback Keith Abney II and linebacker Jimmy Rolder all have real roles. Gill-Howard and Abney have seen the heaviest work, while Moore is still chasing his first career sack.