This gritty Day 3 sleeper is a perfect fit for the Lions

MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 11: Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Hayden Large (88) catches a pass for a first down during a college football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers on October 11, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images One of the exciting parts of building the Grit Index is uncovering cool stories about prospects overcoming adversity, seeing their efforts pay off at the collegiate level, and hoping to see if they can continue their momentum to the NFL level. When exploring this year’s tight end class for the 2026 Grit Index , co-founder Anthony ( @Btwn_TheNumbers on Twitter) uncovered a player who had a unique connection to the Detroit Lions, but when we began to dig deeper into his character, we found a treasure trove of Grit.

Let’s talk about… Hayden Large, TE/H-B, Iowa Large grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan, played his high school football at Unity Christian, and saw time at tight end, running back, linebacker, and safety. As a junior, Large earned a spot on the All-State team, and he heavily contributed to his team winning an MHSAA State Championship—along with some help from a familiar face—and one of his very best friends—in quarterback/defensive back Isaac TeSlaa. Heading into his senior season, Large tore his hamstring, which resulted in a piece of his pelvic bone breaking off.

The gruesome injury required over a month of bed rest (he could not sit down), and he was told he would likely never play football again . Here’s an excerpt from an interview he did with Talkin’ Hawks , describing the injury: “So the way I describe it, your hamstring is connected to your pelvic, your big pelvic bone. And when your hamstring tears, it just tears it off.

But mine tore a chunk of my pelvis off. So my hamstring didn’t tear, but I tore a chunk of my pelvis off. “They said it was a freak injury.