Payton Updates Progress of Broncos' Seventh-Round TE Caleb Lohner

The Denver Broncos drafted tight end Caleb Lohner with their final selection back in April at No. 241 overall. The selection was based on 57 snaps of college football and a lot of projection.

What the Broncos saw was a raw athlete with the potential to be special in the NFL, provided he develops. Broncos head coach Sean Payton was quick to draw a comparison to Jimmy Graham when the New Orleans Saints drafted him in the third round. A former basketball star, Graham went on to become a top tight end in the NFL. 

Although the similarities between Lohner and Graham are obvious, there are a lot of differences between them, too, and it starts with their experience playing college football. Again, Lohner played 57 snaps, while Graham played throughout one season at the University of Miami (FL). Even though Graham only had 17 catches, five of them were touchdowns. 

Graham entered the NFL with a little more college experience than Lohner had, but Payton still has a vision with Lohner. After all, Payton has a proof of concept, having developed Graham and extracted what he did from him. 

For now, Payton continues to spoon-feed Lohner based on what the rookie does well and how quickly he can master it.

“I think a lot of that is predicated on how much can he digest, and how he’s doing it," Payton said of Lohner last week. "So a lot of it is 'let’s pay attention to this progress early on, and then let’s build on it.' But let’s make sure the things we’re asking him to do early are things we feel like he can excel at early.”

The first step for Lohner was to flash in OTAs and minicamp, and he did. He showed off his athleticism, and while there were times his lack of experience showed, there were other times he looked like a veteran out there. 

“He’s coming around. He’s doing well," Payton said of Lohner during mandatory minicamp in June. "There are some things that are new to him, and then there are some things that he gravitates to that I think he’s further along with.”

From there, Lohner needed to carry it over into training camp, and through the first week, he's had additional flashes. There are still consistency issues, and a lot of work needs to be done with his blocking, but he has flashed the receiving athleticism that triggered Graham comparisons by Payton.

As the 241st overall pick, anything the Broncos can get out of Lohner is a win. You don’t often see such late-round picks make it in the NFL, and one of the keys to success is having the opportunity to prove they belong. 

The good news for Lohner is that the Broncos still have many concerns centered around their tight end room, even with Evan Engram in the fold. The Broncos have a bunch of guys who haven’t shown enough in the NFL yet, leaving the door open for Lohner. 

Veteran Adam Trautman is the only proven commodity besides Engram. And even then, Trautman is probably best suited as a No. 3 tight end. However, he's been with Payton for almost all of his NFL career, and he recently offered some insight into how Lohner is coming along.

"I’ve helped him a lot. He’s very curious. Obviously, he hasn’t played much football. That’s real," Trautman said of Lohner last Thursday. "That’s not shade, he just hasn’t. He’s asking the right questions, participating in meetings really well. He has flashes of things and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty darn good.’ So it’s just getting him to do it consistently. Obviously, he’s super young, and he’s brand-new to football for the most part. He’s coming along really well.”

Beyond Engram and Trautman, Nate Adkins has come along as a blocker and can line up in the backfield as a fullback. Adkins hasn’t shown much as a receiver, though there have been a few flashes; he has shown himself to be the Broncos' best blocker at the position, with plenty of room still to grow. 

Lucas Krull was one of Payton's favorites, but he's a liability as a blocker and doesn’t make the plays needed as a receiver to compensate for it. Make no mistake, Krull is Lohners's main competition for a roster spot, even with fellow rookie Caden Prieskorn also competing for a job.  

The flashes that Lohner has shown give him a good shot to make the roster, especially with Krull not flashing so far in camp. However, consistency is the key for Lohner to secure a spot with the plays that he makes, as the Broncos still have many unanswered questions in the tight end room.

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