The NFL has long been considered to be a copycat league as we often see franchises attempt to replicate the successes enjoyed on the field by their competition, whether that comes to scheme, coaching hires, or personnel decisions.
Well, it is no surprise that the Carolina Panthers are attempting to find a diamond in the rough by adding a former college basketball player to their roster. The franchise announced on Monday that former Coastal Carolina Chanticleers big man Colin Granger has been signed as a tight end.
What makes Granger's situation different than the vast majority of prospects who attempt to make the jump to the NFL from the collegiate ranks is that the big man was considered to be a free agent as he would have been eligible to be drafted by any of the league's 32 teams this past season.
According to NFL Football Operations' website, to be NFL draft eligible, players must be out of high school for at least three years and use up their eligibility before the start of the next college football season.
As it pertains to Granger, he didn't play college football but four NFL seasons has gone by since he finished high school in 2020, which made him previously eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft as previously noted.
Obviously, Granger's focus at that time was continuing his basketball career with the Chanticleers, so one can assume that a possible NFL career was the last thing on his radar before this opportunity arose with the Panthers.
Adding a former college basketball player as a tight end prospect is nothing new in NFL circles and has only become a more popular trend in recent years. Now, Granger will look to join the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, Mo Alie-Cox, and Martellus Bennett as the next former hooper to attempt to transition to the NFL.
While some of the aforementioned basketball-to-football-transition stories include names of players who elected to play both sports at the collegiate level, Granger has not put on a pair of football pads since the eighth grade so his attempt to transition from the hardwood to the gridiron could come with a steeper learning curve, despite his impressive size at 6-8 and 245 pounds.
Like many college athletes these days, Granger made use of the transfer portal throughout his career. He started his journey at Ohio University and then made a stop at Western Carolina University before ultimately ending his career at Coastal Carolina. Granger finished his basketball career having made 120 total appearances and owned averages of 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field.
Granger now joins a Panthers tight end room that includes Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews, James Mitchell, and Dominique Dafney.