Sean Payton Praises Broncos' 7th-Round TE's Developmental Upside

Entering the NFL draft process, a team's approach provides a huge indicator of how close any organization genuinely feels it is to being a championship contender. 

After the Denver Broncos' massive wins in free agency, which delivered linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and tight end Evan Engram, flexibility was added to GM George Paton's draft agenda. Subsequently, running with that draft freedom appealed to Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who's traditionally been adverse to trading down, as if he would catch a cold. 

Payton's tendency got turned on its head at long last, likely much to the delight of Paton, as the Broncos traded down multiple times in the draft, including twice on Day 2. However, Payton doggedly pushed the envelope in a late Day 2 trade-up for LSU defensive lineman Sai'vion Jones, and at the end of the draft.

When the Broncos selected Australian-born Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw in Round 6, followed by Utah's basketball player turned tight end Caleb Lohner to close things out, it smacked strongly of Coach Payton. 

Astonishingly, Lohner only compiled 57 total snaps over his 12 games in the college ranks at Utah, but the 24-year-old did score four touchdowns on each of his four career receptions. 

"We’re late in this draft, and you’re rooting for some guys and you see upsides in 6-foot-7, 245 pounds. You can see the basketball skill set, that’s easy, at a high level," Payton said of Lohner after Day 3 of the draft. "Then you’re looking at a small amount of playing time, and yet enough to where you’re watching them. I think the other thing that helped was watching him at the Big 12 Pro Day. There were just a few plays that you see movement skills, and it’s a lot to work with."

The Lohner pick is a serious development project to embark upon, but drafting a punter with the 216th overall pick is aimed at filling a void created by the recent free-agent departure of veteran Riley Dixon. Paton sounded confident that the Broncos had just secured the best punter in college football, and Crawshaw's dynamic athletic upside, when coupled with his prowess as a holder, offers even more inherent value. 

"We felt like he’s the best punter in the draft. I think he was the only one drafted but [a] big kid, athletic, grew up playing rugby and cricket," Paton said of Crawshaw. "This guy’s got a really big leg, and look at his growth that he’s had over the last couple of years. The net wasn’t as high as this year but in the past,wefeellikehecan do everything: punt for distance, directionally, controlled hang, really good holder, good teammate. We feel really strong about him.”

Crawshaw fills two more immediate needs that could make the Broncos much better in the long haul. In the process of ticking all the boxes, the Broncos also took their shots on players like Lohner, guys who have serious athletic ability if it can be harnessed moving forward. 

"His movement skills and his height, weight, his eye-hand coordination—yeah, there's a lot of development upside, and we're excited about that," Payton said of Lohner. 

The Broncos approached the 2025 draft from a position of strength, allowing them to be creative, much like perennial contenders such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs have been able to sit back and let the board fall to them. Paton believes wholeheartedly that Denver's draft mission has been achieved. 

"I thought we had a really good weekend, and I think we got better as a football team," Paton said.

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