Sean Payton lauds seventh-round Denver Broncos draft pick Caleb Lohner, draws comparison to former player, 'If it turns out like the last one did…'

Sean Payton is liking what he’s already seen from unheralded seventh-round draft pick, tight end Caleb Lohner.

Lohner is something of an NFL neophyte. Originally recruited to college sports as a basketball player, he would play four years of the sport, splitting his time between BYU and Baylor before transferring to the Utah Utes for the 2024 season with the intention of playing football.

He played a paltry 57 snaps of college football, only hauling in four passes, but each of those four went for touchdowns. That limited but exciting college film saw the Denver Broncos take a late-round flyer on him, selecting him with their final pick of their draft class, at 241st overall in the seventh round.

Lohner follows a few athletes in swapping the hardwood for the football field at the tight end position, most prominently former Los Angeles Chargers All-Pro Antonio Gates.

His coach Sean Payton, however, had a different basketball convert in mind – one he’d coached before.

Sean Payton quietly compares Caleb Lohner’s athleticism to Jimmy Graham

Speaking at the Broncos rookie minicamp, Payton offered some carefully-chosen words regarding one of his newest charges.

“Watching him at the Big 12 pro day…there were just a few plays that you see movement skills, and it’s a lot to work with. If it turns out like the last one did, then we’d be really excited.” Payton said.

The “last one”, of course, was his tight end in New Orleans who also played basketball, Jimmy Graham.

While excited by Lohner’s athletic skillset, Payton was careful not to draw a close comparison, likely with good reason, as Graham remains one of the league’s most revolutionary players.

Drafted in the third round from Miami in 2009 after a similarly short college football career (Graham played four seasons of basketball for the Hurricanes instead), Graham went to five Pro Bowls and logged 89 career touchdowns.

In the process, his athletic gifts also saw his offensive coordinators redefine the usage of the tight end position, turning it from a static point on the end of the offensive line into a motion weapon, often attacking from the slot receiver position.

That’s something still seen in today’s game through the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Travis Kelce.

Caleb Lohner’s path to playing time

Despite the big comparison, which was likely no accident, the Broncos know that what they have on their hands is a project, given how little football he’s played.

With NFL veterans Adam Trautman and Evan Engram ahead of him, it will presumably be a while before Lohner is catching passes regularly from Bo Nix.

However, Payton’s known love of special packages, and showed a particular interest in a ‘joker’ type player before the draft, akin to his use of Taysom Hill when he was with the New Orleans Saints. It would not be surprising at all to see him find a way to use Lohner’s gifts to get him on the field and get the ball in his hands moving forward.

As the Broncos search for more playmakers in a bid to build on last season’s playoff appearance, ending in a Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, don’t be surprised if Lohner’s name becomes more familiar to all observers very soon.