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Broncos Draft Former College Basketball Standout

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan Harris | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 7:24 PM ET

Throughout the NFL's history, there has been a lot of players that became successful in the NFL after being a college basketball player.

Most notably, one of the best tight ends to ever play, Antonio Gates is one of those cases as he just has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He played basketball in college while attending Kent State.

Other players with incredible NFL careers, such as Tony Gonzalez, Julius Peppers, Donovan McNabb, and Terrell Owens all played college basketball.

Utah Runnin' Utes college basketball forward Caleb Lohner, who also played tight end for the school, has been selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

He is the first and only Utah player to be selected in this year's draft.

Lohner played college basketball for all five years that he was in school, for BYU, Baylor, and Utah. He only picked up football in his lone year at Utah, where he was a valuable tight end.

A shocking statistic has Lohner with a 100% touchdown scoring percentage, as he scored touchdowns on all four of his collegiate receptions.

The great part about the last round of the draft is that teams can see players like Lohner and take a chance on a high potential player for their team.

Basketball players turned football can have a knack for reading the defenses and finding holes in a defense, which is a big part about tight end as they typically tread waters through the middle of the field.

The offseason minicamp for Lohner will be fun to watch him develop, and keeping an eye on him throughout the preseason as the Broncos gear up for another successful season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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