Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler goes to Broncos in second round
Kahlee Jacoby Hamler, better known as Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler, joined teammate Yetur Gross-Matos as second-round draft choices Friday night when he went to the Denver Broncos (46th overall).
Gross-Matos, a defensive end, was chosen eight picks earlier by the Carolina Panthers.
Hamler is only 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, but he can be — and has been — a productive pass catcher, especially lined up in the slot.
He missed his first season at Penn State with an ACL tear, but he returned in 2018 to start 13 games and achieve honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a receiver with 42 receptions, 754 yards and five touchdowns and kick and punt returner. He was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, an honor handed out for versatility.
Last season, as a redshirt sophomore, he was named second-team All-Big Ten, with 56 receptions, 904 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Broncos used their first two picks on wide receivers, nabbing Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy on Thursday night with the 15th overall choice.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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