Some of the best tight ends to ever do it excelled in a completely different sport before taking up football. Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez are among the college basketball standouts who successfully made the transition to the NFL.

The Carolina Panthers are taking a flier on a rookie center. Basketball center that is. The team announced Monday that it had signed Colin Granger, who will try to make the transition to tight end.

As announced this afternoon, the team has officially added Colin Granger, a former Division I basketball player, to their roster as a tight end. Monday's release from the Panthers notes that this will be Granger's "first foray" into football, which follows a five-year collegiate career as a power forward on the hardwood.