Hamler Off the Board with the 46th Overall Pick to Denver Broncos
K.J. Hamler is the second former Nittany Lion off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft. With the 46th pick in the draft, Hamler went to the Denver Broncos. He was taken with the 14th selection in the second round of Friday night's broadcast.
Last season, Hamler led the Nittany Lions with 56 receptions for 904 yards and eight touchdowns, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. For his career, he had 1,658 yards receiving, scoring 13 touchdowns.
Read our KJ Hamler NFL Draft Scouting Profile
Though Penn State strength coach Dwight Galt lamented the fact that Hamler was unable to participate in the testing portion of February's NFL Combine, he noted in an interview this month the attributes the speedy receiver will take to the next level.
"KJ's pro shuttle, he was a high 4.2. His first two times, it was harder for him to kind of plant, bend and twist with his surgically repaired knee. And then the last two times he's gone, he ran a 4.15 and a 4.11 this summer," Galt said. "KJ weighed 159 when he came to the program. He got to like 80-81 for a little bit of time, but he played in the high 70s last year, 78 or so. So he gained 20 pounds of good weight and got faster and got quicker. So that's obviously a testament to his work ethic, but that's always kind of what you're looking for."
Coming out of high school, Hamler was a four-star prospect. Growing up, he played at St. Mary's in Orchard Lake, Mich., the same high school as former Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson. For his senior season, Hamler went to IMG Academy in Florida but tore his anterior cruciate ligament during preseason. That caused him to fall outside of the Rivals250, but he still earned nearly 30 scholarship offers. Hamler chose the Nittany Lions over Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon.
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