A surprising player stood out at Broncos rookie minicamp

The Denver Broncos had a rookie minicamp over the weekend, and a surprising player stood out to coach Sean Payton: tight end Caleb Lohner.

"He looks entirely different in this camp," Payton said of Lohner. "Now, he was here in this camp a year ago as a draft pick, but he stood out.”

Lohner was one of three eligible first-year players who participated in rookie minicamp last week to get more reps. The former basketball player spent all of last season on the practice squad after being picked by Denver in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft out of Utah.

“Everything," Payton said when asked in what areas Lohner looks improved. "In fairness to him, remember [he] was a basketball prospect that had limited snaps of a year. So one year into the program, and how he’s moving, what he’s doing, everything looks entirely different. That learning curve and growth curve was greater for someone who had far less experience, maybe, than others, if that makes sense. It’s entirely noticeable, and he’s in great shape. You see his athleticism.

"I would say the one thing that you don’t know is… Bill [Parcells] used to say, ‘If they don’t bite when they’re puppies, they’re probably never going to bite.’ There’s a physical aspect to the way he plays. Even on [scout] team last season, he’d play an outside linebacker rushing our tackles. He’s 6-7, 265 pounds and he’s not afraid of the contact. So it’s been good to see him in Year 2. You knew there was going to be a developmental upside, but that was encouraging.”

The tight end said he's feeling a lot more comfortable going into his second year with the club.

"I think I've come a long way," Lohner said after Saturday's practice.