Broncos drafted Caleb Lohner after he played just 57 snaps of college football
The most inexperienced player selected in the 2025 NFL draft was Utah tight end Caleb Lohner, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Broncos.
How inexperienced is Lohner? 'Fifty-seven plays,' Broncos General Manager George Paton said after drafting him.
That's it. In the same draft as No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, who once played 149 snaps in a single game, Lohner was selected despite playing just 57 snaps in his college career.
But Broncos head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos liked what they saw of Lohner, who played mostly basketball in college before joining the Utah football team for one season last year.
'We're late in this draft and you're rooting for some guys, and you see upside,' Payton said. 'He's 6-7, 245. You can see the basketball skill set — that's easy — at a high level. You're looking at a small amount of playing time, and yet enough to where you're watching him. I think the other thing that helped was watching him at the Big 12 Pro Day. There's just a few plays that you see movement skills — and man, there's a lot to work with.'
Payton has experience coaching a college basketball player with limited football experience and helping him turn into an All-Pro tight end. That's what Payton did in New Orleans with Jimmy Graham, who played four years of basketball and one year of football in college at Miami before becoming one of the best tight ends in the NFL with the Saints.
Expecting Lohner to become another Jimmy Graham might be too much to ask, but the Broncos think he might just become an NFL playmaker, even if he takes longer to develop than most.
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