Steelers Take a Look at 6’8” Former Hoops Standout Colin Granger at Tight End
The Pittsburgh Steelers are doing their homework on a potential project player with serious upside. On Tuesday, the team brought in tight end Colin Granger for a workout-a name that might not ring a bell in football circles just yet, but one that turns heads when you see the measurables.
Granger stands at a towering 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 240 pounds. He’s not your typical tight end prospect.
In fact, he’s not your typical football player at all. Granger spent the last five years on the hardwood, suiting up for Ohio, Western Carolina, and most recently Coastal Carolina, where he wrapped up his college basketball career last spring.
His final season with the Chanticleers saw him appear in 31 games with 11 starts, averaging 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
But instead of chasing a pro basketball career overseas-an option that was very much on the table-Granger pivoted. He turned his focus to football, a sport he hadn’t played since eighth grade. That’s a bold move, and it’s one that’s been made before by a handful of notable names.
Granger began training with former NFL offensive lineman George Fant, who made a similar leap from college basketball to the NFL trenches. Fant isn’t alone in that transition-tight ends like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, and Mo Alie-Cox all made the jump from the hardwood to the gridiron, and Granger is aiming to follow in those footsteps.
Despite limited prep time-just three weeks removed from his final basketball season-Granger put up some eye-popping numbers at his pro day last spring. He clocked a 4.8-second 40-yard dash, leapt 40 inches in the vertical, and posted a 9-foot-7 broad jump.
Add in a 4.29 short shuttle and a 7.25-second three-cone drill, and you’ve got a raw athlete with serious tools. His Relative Athletic Score came in at 6.59 out of 10, held back mostly by his weight and bench press numbers-areas that could improve with a full offseason in a football-specific strength program.
Granger initially signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft, but a hamstring injury led to his release in May. Since then, he’s been working to get back on the radar, and it looks like he’s doing just that. Earlier this month, he also worked out for the Washington Commanders.
For the Steelers, this is likely about future planning. They currently carry four tight ends on the active roster, with Matt Sokol stashed on the practice squad. Bringing in Granger now suggests they’re evaluating him for a potential reserve/futures contract heading into the 2026 season-a low-risk, high-upside move if he continues to develop.
Also in for a workout was JJ Galbreath, another tight end who originally signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota earlier this year.
Granger’s journey is still in its early stages, but the interest from multiple NFL teams shows he’s more than just a curiosity. He’s a longshot, sure-but with that frame, that athleticism, and a growing list of teams kicking the tires, he’s a longshot worth watching.