Sean Payton says that TE Caleb Lohner has really stood out at Broncos rookie minicamp

Payton was then asked what Lohner is doing better this year compared to last year. He simply said “everything”.

“Everything. 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… [Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach] 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 look 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.”

Now, Lohner entered the league very raw after playing just one season of college football in a very limited role, so it should not be a huge surprise that he is looking better and more developed a year later. You would hope that would be the case, as Payton mentioned, Lohner is a developmental project for them, but it’s encouraging to hear that he’s standing out. On the flip side, if he was invited to this rookie minicamp and didn’t really stand out, then we would be having a completely different conversation here.

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Payton wasn’t done hyping up Lohner. He was later asked about Lohner’s learning curve and where he stands compared to the rest of the young tight ends in the NFL. He added that Lohner is a “very physical player” and then told the media, “You will see him in June,” and ended with “Yes, he has been impressive”.

“That’s a great question. You just start with total reps in the bank in football, and there was just a lot less. You’re drafting traits at that point in the draft. We’ve done that before, and sometimes you’re drafting traits [and] you see a receiving tight end. The one thing I know watching him is he’ll be plenty and very physical. The blocking part is a little bit easier to develop than the other part, but you guys will see him this June. Yes, he’s been impressive.”

Payton typically doesn’t praise players like this publicly, so when he does, you take note of it. He spoke highly of Lohner last season and even made a Jimmy Graham comparison, so we know that he is invested in Lohner’s development, and so far in year two, he hasn’t backed down.

Rookie tight end Justin Joly also joined in on the Caleb Lohner hype train. He told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Lohner is “Super, uber-athletic” and can “jump out of the sky”.