Utah TE Caleb Lohner’s football journey continues after being drafted by Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos, who have taken a liking to adding former Utes to their team in recent years, took a chance on the former BYU and Baylor basketball player turned football tight end, drafting him …

Four catches for four touchdowns in his only season playing football at the collegiate level has turned into an NFL shot for Utah tight end Caleb Lohner.

The Denver Broncos, who have taken a liking to adding former Utes to their team in recent years, took a chance on the former BYU and Baylor basketball player turned football tight end, drafting him with the No. 241 pick in the NFL draft Saturday.

Lohner’s selection marks the fourth consecutive year that a Utah player was selected in the draft, a streak that started in 2022 when the Jacksonville Jaguars picked linebacker Devin Lloyd in the first round.

Last fall, Lohner tried his luck on the gridiron, and it all started from a conversation with Ute tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, who has known the Lohner family for quite a while.

After finishing the basketball season at Baylor, where he settled into a bench role and averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in his last season in Waco, Lohner entered the transfer portal — but it wasn’t just basketball he was looking to play.

Despite the fact that he hadn’t played organized football since eighth grade — deciding after that to completely focus on basketball — Whittingham was interested in converting the hoops forward to a tight end.

“Caleb is a guy that has all the traits that you look for in a tight end,” Whittingham said last fall. “He’s tall, he’s 250 pounds now, he can run, he’s got good hands and I would say from when he arrived in May through all of the summer work that was done, he’d get a grade of an ‘A’ for everything that he was able to do in summer ball.”

It was a tough process — essentially, Lohner was relearning the sport — but the potential was there from an athletic standpoint. Once he began learning everything he needed to about football, the results started showing themselves in practice, and it started translating in-game.

All four of his receptions were touchdowns, with the 6-foot-7, 250-pounder providing a big target for Utah’s quarterbacks in the red zone and coming down with jump balls in the end zone.

He also blocked a kick on special teams.

After finishing the football season, Lohner also played basketball for Utah, averaging 2.8 points and 2 rebounds while playing 9.9 minutes per game.

The combination of Lohner’s size, frame and athleticism proved to be enough for the Broncos to want to nab him near the end of the draft before he reached the undrafted free agent market.

Lohner played just 57 snaps the entire year and was targeted just nine times, but he made every single snap count en route to getting his shot at the next level.

“I just had some people at the University of Utah that just believed that I could be a high-level tight end, and so I took the time to watch some film and take a visit there after I had graduated from Baylor, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Lohner said, per the Broncos website.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for all the schools that I was at, but especially University of Utah, their football program, the Whittinghams — coach Kyle (Whittingham) and Freddie Whittingham.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton has loved to use unconventional players before — see Taysom Hill — and will love the idea of scheming up different ways to use Lohner, if Lohner impresses enough in camp to make the final roster.

“I couldn’t have been happier,” Lohner said, per the Broncos website.

“I just wanted an opportunity, and I genuinely believe that wherever I am — and now being part of the Broncos organization — I’m going to do everything I can to help win. I know I don’t have a ton of football under my belt, but that’s exactly why I’m playing the game, because I’ve developed a passion and love. I was so excited. I think it’s something you dream about in sports.”

Lohner will join five former Utes in the Mile High City — offensive tackle Garett Bolles, outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, wide receiver Devaughn Vele and fellow tight end Thomas Yassmin.

Linebacker Karene Reid, Lohner’s teammate in his sole season as a Ute, will be with him as well, as the Broncos reportedly signed Reid to an undrafted free agent contract shortly following the draft.

Source: Utah News