CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- "What's up bro! I'm starting a program where I'm helping athletic basketball guys transition to the NFL ... TE/OL. Basically, I go through a database of guys who fit a certain mode that translates to football and I think you have a chance of making that transition. ... If you're interested, let me know and we can chop it up."
New Carolina Panthers tight end Colin Granger thought it was a joke at first.
It was early March and the 6-foot-8, 245-pound center at Coastal Carolina was finishing his fifth season of college basketball at his third school when he got the above message on Instagram from George Fant, a person he'd never heard of, asking if he'd like to give the NFL a try.