A former Division I basketball player who switched to football for a single college season and got drafted anyway.
Caleb Lohner spent four years as a college basketball forward at BYU and Baylor before trying football for the first time as a graduate student at Utah in 2024. Despite catching just four passes in college, the athletic tight end intrigued the Broncos enough to spend a seventh-round pick on him.
Path to the league
Lohner played basketball at BYU (2020-2022) and Baylor (2022-2024) before adding football at Utah in 2024, where he caught four passes for 54 yards, all of them touchdowns, while simultaneously playing for the Utes' basketball team. The Denver Broncos selected him in the seventh round, 241st overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he signed a four-year, $4.309 million contract.
Career highlights
Lohner's story is defined more by his athletic versatility than a traditional football resume; head coach Sean Payton has pointed to his raw athleticism and developmental upside as a tight end after essentially one season of college football experience.
2025 season recap
Lohner spent his rookie year on Denver's practice squad before being elevated to the active roster for the Broncos' playoff run. He was recovering from lower-body surgery as of June 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Caleb Lohner
- ESPN: Caleb Lohner
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Tight End
- Group
- offense
- College
- Utah
- Hometown
- Flower Mound, TX, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
