The Panthers added a massive tight end prospect on Monday. And he comes from an unlikely source.
Per ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton, Carolina signed former Division I basketball player Colin Granger as a tight end. Granger, a 2024-25 fifth-year senior, played at Ohio (2020-22), Western Carolina (2022-24) and Coastal Carolina (2024-25) during his college basketball career.
He appeared in 120 games, starting 20 times. This season, Granger averaged a career-high 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 57.9 percent.
Coastal Carolina's team site lists his height as 6 feet 9 inches, which is undoubtedly a significant factor in his allure as a raw NFL prospect. Per Stathead, if he makes the 53-man roster, which should still be considered a long shot, he could be the second-tallest tight end to play in NFL history, only trailing 6-foot-10 Morris Stroud, who appeared in 69 games for the Chiefs from 1969-74.
Stroud, a third-round 1969 NFL Draft pick, also transitioned from the hardwood to the gridiron, playing at HBCU Clark Atlanta University before being selected by Kansas City.
Granger posted a video on YouTube of a private football workout featuring him running several routes. While he looked good catching passes from a quarterback going against thin air, the question is how he'll look with 20 other players on the field and defenders running with him stride for stride.
As Newton noted, Granger last played football in eighth grade. He has a lot to prove to make it to the active roster this fall, but it's easy to see how a player with his physical stature could be a difficult matchup in one-on-one matchups, particularly in the end zone.
Some of the best tight ends in league history were former basketball players, including former Saints great Jimmy Graham and Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.
Like Granger, their careers began when an NFL team took a bold swing on them.
For the Panthers, experimenting with Granger is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. They don't have much to lose if he fails to pan out. After all, they've been unable to put together a winning roster of players with football backgrounds. How much could it hurt to sign someone with a different work history?
Carolina might have found a diamond in the deep rough with Granger. His development will be worth monitoring through the offseason.
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