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. It was actually because I was growing and my bones were weaker. And I don’t know, it just happened. They said the doctor said he only sees one or two a year. So I had to have surgery a week later. And then I was in bed for 35 days. Because you can’t sit down with it because it’s your butt. So I had to lay on my right side for 35 days.”
As a result of the missed season, Large became a “no-star” recruit and needed to attend junior college for three seasons before eventually entering the transfer portal, with some encouragement from TeSlaa.
“First, so one of my best friends in high school, we played together, he was in my grade. He went to Hillsdale College; his name is Isaac TsSlaa. And he entered the portal right after their season was done. And he was telling me, he’s like, I just need to try it, you know? And he blew up in the portal. Like he had every school in the country offer him, Iowa offered him. And then he ended up committing to Arkansas. But he was telling me, he’s like, dude, we just got to take a chance on yourself. Just try it.”
Large elected to indeed bet on himself, and he was quickly contacted by the University of Iowa. While he was not offered a scholarship, Large elected to walk on to the program and work to find a role. Large actually found multiple roles, including contributing at fullback, H-back, and special teams, where his physical blocking and pursuit aggressiveness would stand out.
Over the next three seasons, Large would become a key cog in the Iowa football team’s identity, displaying his off-the-charts football character and earning program honors, like the “Make it possible” award, which is given to the player whom players and coaches felt made the success of the team possible.
In Dane Brugler’s The Beast draft guide, Large was described as “the ‘heart and soul’ of the program.”
When you see Large commanding the breakdown huddles at Iowa, you can easily see how the former walk-on, who was told he would never play football again, used his passion and grit to earn a trusted role as a team leader.
From a football standpoint, Large has an above-average profile, producing an 8.92 RAS and earning an 8.59 Grit Score, and has the potential to earn a role in the NFL as a scheme-specific H-back/TE3 role with special teams range due to his blocking prowess.
With an emphasis on football character and the desire to expand their tight end room, Large should appeal to the Detroit Lions on Day 3 of the NFL draft or as an undrafted free agent. While most national analysts don’t expect him to be drafted, that’s a level of adversity Large is familiar with, and if he finds himself in Allen Park, I wouldn’t bet against him finding a way to stick around.
