1 week Ago
Utah tight end Caleb Lohner was a surprise pick of the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, going with the 241st overall pick that was acquired in a trade with Houston. Lohner was more known for his basketball career, including two seasons at BYU, two at Baylor and his final season with Utah. He played football for just one season at Utah so this pick is a gamble for the Broncos.
But at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, Denver is willing to give him a shot. Lohner played in all 12 games last season for the Utes. He had just four catches for 54 yards, but all four were for touchdowns.
He caught a 20-yard TD pass for his first reception in his first-ever college football game, against Southern Utah. He had an 11-yard TD catch at Utah State and also blocked a field goal. He also had a 20-yard TD catch against Arizona, a three-yard scoring catch at Colorado and caught a two-point conversion against Iowa State.
Lohner becomes the ninth Utah tight end to be selected in the NFL Draft with the most recent coming in 2023 when Dalton Kincaid went in the first round, with the 25th overall pick, to Buffalo. This is the second straight year a Ute was taken in the seventh round by Denver after wide receiver Devaughn Vele went 235th in 2024. There’s a history of college basketball players moving on to play tight end in the NFL, including Hall of Famers Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, as well as Jimmy Graham.
.
