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There won’t be any La Conner High football this fall, but grid fans here will have one player with local ties to follow when the NFL season kicks off this Sunday.

Hunter Bryant, son of La Conner alum Shana Bryant and grandson of former La Conner resident Patti Beard, has made the regular season roster of the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent tight end out of the University of Washington.

“Hunter’s dream is becoming a reality,” Beard said on Monday, after the Lions announced their 53-player roster for the team’s Sept. 13 home opener with division rival Chicago. “He suffered a hamstring injury after one week of training camp, but my boy impressed enough in that short time to be put on the team.”

Bryant, at 6’-2”, 239-pounds, was deemed too small to play tight end at the pro level. There was concern, too, about knee injuries that limited his playing time at the UW during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

But his ability to run routes and catch passes in traffic was unquestioned, which led the Lions to sign him as a free agent.

Pro football analysts immediately ranked him as the NFL’s top undrafted free agent signee.

A graduate of Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Bryant caught 22 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown in his first season with the Huskies before suffering a season-ending injury against UCLA in the 2017 homecoming game.

In his shortened sophomore year he reeled in 11 passes for 238 yards and a score. He garnered national attention with a highlight reel one-handed grab against Ohio State in the 2019 Rose Bowl Game.

As a junior, Bryant tallied 52 receptions for 825 yards and three TDs. After the season he announced his intent to move on to the pro ranks.

Bryant is not considered a typical big blocking NFL tight end but is seen rather as a playmaker able to line up in the slot, on the outside or in the backfield.

“Hunter Bryant should be a dynamic receiving threat at the NFL level,” said pro football columnist Kyle Crabbs. “Bryant brings excellent quickness, run after catch skills and versatility to a flex tight end role.”

Bryant is being looked upon to help the Lions rebound from last year’s bleak 3-12-1 record. His grandma and La Conner fans will certainly be in his corner.

“I’m not sure how this year will play out on an NFL team,” Beard said, “but the excitement and pride that I feel is huge.”