 Hamler with the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2019 | |||||||||
| No. 19 –Buffalo Bills | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1999-07-08)July 8, 1999 (age 25) Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | St. Mary's Preparatory (Orchard Lake Village, Michigan) | ||||||||
| College: | Penn State (2017–2019) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2020: 2nd round, 46th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Kahlee Jacoby Hamler (born July 8, 1999) is an American professionalfootballwide receiver for theBuffalo Bills of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atPenn State.
Hamler moved from his hometown,Pontiac, Michigan, to Florida to play his final year of high school football as a senior atIMG Academy.[1] Before his first career game at IMG Academy, he tore his ACL.[2] Prior to transferring to IMG Academy, Hamler was a two year letterman atSt. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, Michigan. He was rated as a four-star prospect byESPN,Rivals andScout and a three star prospect by247Sports. He also ran track for two seasons.
Hamlerredshirted as a freshman at Penn State due to suffering atorn ACL the previous year.[2]
In the first game of his collegiate career againstAppalachian State, Hamler returned a kickoff 52 yards with less than two minutes on the clock to help spark Penn State's game-tying drive. He capped the drive off with a 15-yardtouchdown reception with under a minute remaining, ending the game with 3 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.[3] Against Ohio State, Hamler was awardedBig Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honors after recording four receptions for 138 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown. Through five games, Hamler recorded 13 receptions for 308 yards and four touchdowns in his first season as a collegiate athlete.[4]
In the 2019 season, Hamler recorded 56 receptions for 904 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.[5]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | Wonderlic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft8+5⁄8 in (1.74 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 15 reps | 15 | |||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[6][7][8] | ||||||||||||
Hamler was selected by theDenver Broncos with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the2020 NFL draft.[9]
In Week 2, Hamler made his NFL debut and recorded three receptions for 48 receiving yards in a 26–21 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers.[10] In Week 8 against theLos Angeles Chargers, Hamler recorded his first career touchdown catch with no time remaining on the clock to help the Broncos win the game 31–30.[11] In Week 14 against theCarolina Panthers, Hamler recorded two receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns during the 32–27 victory.[12] On January 2, 2021, Hamler was placed oninjured reserve due to a hamstring injury.[13] He finished his rookie season with 30 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns.[13]
Trying to shake off the hamstring issues that plagued his rookie season, Hamler began training camp of his sophomore season in a crowded receiving corps.[14][15] He shone early in preseason, catching a touchdown fromDrew Lock during the Broncos' first preseason game against theMinnesota Vikings.[16] He suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 28, 2021.[17]
On December 3, 2022, Hamler was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.[18] He played in seven games and recorded seven receptions for 165 yards in the 2022 season.[19] On March 23, 2023, Hamler was ruled out for 4–6 months after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle he suffered while training on his own.[20]
On July 31, 2023, Hamler announced he was diagnosed withpericarditis. Hamler was then waived by the Denver Broncos with a non-football illness designation.[21]
Hamler signed with thepractice squad of theIndianapolis Colts on September 30, 2023.[22] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent upon the expiration of his practice squad contract.[23]
Hamler signed a reserve/future contract with theBuffalo Bills on January 20, 2024.[24] He was released as part of final roster cuts on August 27 and signed back to the practice squad the following day.[25][26] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 28, 2025.[27]