The Denver Broncos are coming off of a season in which they surprised their critics and made the playoffs for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50. Sean Payton really helped turn the page and turn the team into contenders. The defense is lock solid, and quarterback Bo Nix looks like the real deal. There is a lot of optimism heading into the 2025 season.
Payton is known for getting the most out of his players, especially on offense. Well, he's looking to replicate what he was able to do when he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Payton recently discussed the Broncos' seventh-round pick, Utah tight end Caleb Lohner, who primarily played basketball in college. Payton is hoping he can have similar success developing the 6-foot-7, 250-pound rookie into a star like another former basketball player turned tight end in the past — Jimmy Graham.
"If it turns out like the last one did, then we'd be real excited," Payton said, h/t the Broncos' official website.
Sean Payton hopes he can develop Caleb Lohner into star tight end like Jimmy Graham
Broncos fans would be thrilled if Payton is able to do that.
Lohner played just 57 snaps for the Utes football team last year, where he logged four catches for 54 yards and four touchdowns. That's right, all four catches were touchdown receptions. Not bad. Lohner primarily played forward throughout his college career between Utah (one season), BYU (two seasons), and Baylor (two seasons). All in all, Lohner averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the field in 153 games (46 starts).
Of course, NFL fans know all too well about Graham's emergence into an NFL superstar. Gahm was a third-round pick by Payton and the Saints in 2010. Graham played four seasons for the Miami Hurricanes' basketball team, where he averaged 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 50.8 percent from the field in 120 games (40 starts). Graham played just the 2009 season at tight end for Miami's football team, where he caught 17 passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games.
Graham emerged as a star and an unstoppable end zone threat in his second season learning under Payton, as he recorded 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns on 149 targets. In 2013, Graham led the entire league with 16 receiving touchdowns. In his five years on the Saints with Payton as head coach (2010-14), Graham recorded 386 catches for 4,752 yards and 51 touchdowns, while being named to the Pro Bowl three times.
If Payton could develop and see similar production on the field out of Lohner like he did with Graham, we could be talking about the steal of the 2025 draft. Of course, that will all be dependent on how Lohner participates in training camp and in practices. But the potential is definitely there, and Payton sees it.