Panthers sign Colin Granger, ex-college basketball center, in attempt to make him tight end

The Carolina Panthers will have a fun training camp project after their latest announcement on Monday. 

Colin Granger, a former Division 1 basketball player for Ohio University, Western Carolina and Coastal Carolina, is going to try to convert to an NFL tight end. 

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound Granger was announced as a signee for the Panthers as he is five years removed from high school and is allowed to join a team as a free agent. 

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Granger was a center during his college career, playing two seasons at Ohio University, two seasons at Western Carolina and finishing off at Coastal Carolina. 

He was a 52.3% shooter from the field during his career, while hauling in 322 total rebounds with the three different programs. He had 137 rebounds at Coastal Carolina to cap an impressive career. 

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Now, Panthers brass has history with converting former basketball players into NFL-caliber pieces, as head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan did so with George Fant with the Seattle Seahawks.

Fant, who stands at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, played basketball at Western Kentucky, and he was converted into a hybrid offensive tackle and tight end. He ended up playing seven total seasons with Seattle, the New York Jets and Houston Texans. 

ESPN reports that Fant has been working with Granger to get him ready for the transition, and he was the one who told the Panthers about his potential. 

Granger, though, hasn’t been on a football field since eighth grade, so the transition isn’t expected to be an easy one. 

But, of course, this isn’t new, especially at the tight end position. Think Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and the great Tony Gonzalez, who were all former basketball players before seeing tons of success in the NFL. 

Granger will be competing with a slew of tight ends in Panthers training camp this summer, including Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders.

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