Mile High Report
Could rookie tight end Caleb Lohner be Sean Payton’s version of Jimmy Graham with the Broncos?
With their final selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Utah tight end Caleb Lohner. This was no ordinary seventh selection due to Lohner transitioning from being a basketball player to a football player. He played just one season with Utah, but Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton saw enough to take a chance on him in the seventh round of the draft.
Payton has only spoken to the media a handful of times since the draft, but he has compared rookie tight end Caleb Lohner to former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham multiple times now.
Last month, he mentioned to reporters that Lohner’s experience is limited, but he says that you see the traits and movements that get you excited about his potential. When watching his tape, he said there were two or three clips that had him saying “Play it again, Play it again!” and they saw more of that during the practices this past weekend.
“It’s limited. So, this is a basketball player for most of his career. He plays a year of football, count the snaps, count the catches. I get it. Yet you see traits, you see movements. I’m not a big fan of the Big 12 Pro Day because a player like him gets six routes instead of 20 that he would get at his own Pro Day. So hopefully that’s going away, but there are two or three clips where I’m like, ‘Play it again. Play it again.’ Then, when you watch him, and you watch him move, and even in our first two days here.”
Lohner’s tape is very limited. He played just 57 snaps this past year at Utah and had just 4 catches (all of which were touchdowns), but the potential is there. He used his size, length, and athletic ability to be a weapon in the red zone, plus his movement skills get you excited about what he can develop into as a receiver.
Payton had a similar type of prospect with the Saints in Jimmy Graham. He was a basketball player transitioning to football and had limited snaps and production in college. While he did have more snaps, more catches, and was drafted in the third round, Payton does see a comparison between the two players. He told reporters that “there are traits there that excite me” when talking about Lohner.
*“People bring up Jimmy. Now Jimmy was a third-round pick. I get it, but there were some similarities in that. He only played a year, 80-something snaps. I think he had 18 catches. So yes, we have to coach and develop. In other words, if it was already present when you watch him, and you guys see him, and shake his hand and stand next to him, like, ‘Holy cow.’ There are traits there that excite me. Then just visiting with him, and his intentionality and his...
