The Denver Broncos swooped in at the last minute to steal a unique player in the 2025 NFL Draft away from another AFC team

The Broncos prevented the Colts from signing Caleb Lohner by drafting him in the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft

The Broncos entered the draft with a clear need at TE, which led to it being a popular position mocked to the team in early rounds. The first round passed without the team taking a TE, then the second, then the third, and so on until the team's final selection of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Broncos selected Utah TE Caleb Lohner with the 241st pick in the seventh round. 

Not exactly what the fan base hoped the team would do at TE. But they did sign veteran Evan Engram, who will raise the floor of the room tremendously. So, to pair with him, they decided to take a high upside swing on the two-sport collegiate athlete Lohner. Before picking up football this past season, Lohner had already played college football for four seasons with BYU and Baylor from 2020 to 2023. He transferred to Utah for his final season and decided to also pick up football for the first time in his collegiate career. 

He only recorded four receptions for 54 yards after appearing in 12 games, all four receptions being touchdowns, though. Lohner is still understandably raw as a prospect when it comes to football. However, his athletic profile and 6-8 frame make him an exciting type of player for a team to develop. So it's not shocking that the Indianapolis Colts tried to get a head start and negotiated a UDFA deal with him before the draft ended. I also wonder if the Broncos tried to get in on UDFA negotiations for Lohner, and when they realized he was heading elsewhere, they chose to use their final draft pick on him to jump the line. Clearly, the Colts wanted him, but in the end, the Broncos were willing to use a draft pick on him, and Indianapolis wasn't.