# K. J. Hamler

Kahlee Jacoby Hamler (born July 8, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State.

## Early life

Hamler moved from his hometown, Pontiac, Michigan, to Florida to play his final year of high school football as a senior at IMG Academy. Before his first career game at IMG Academy, he tore his ACL. Prior to transferring to IMG Academy, Hamler was a two year letterman at St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, Michigan. He was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and Scout and a three star prospect by 247Sports. He also ran track for two seasons.

## College career
### 2017 season

Hamler redshirted as a freshman at Penn State due to suffering a torn ACL the previous year.

### 2018 season

In the first game of his collegiate career against Appalachian 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-yard touchdown reception with under a minute remaining, ending the game with 3 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Against Ohio State, Hamler was awarded Big 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.

### 2019 season

In the 2019 season, Hamler recorded 56 receptions for 904 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | Wonderlic |
| 5 ft 8+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 from NFL Combine ||||||

### Denver Broncos
#### 2020 season

Hamler was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
In Week 2, Hamler made his NFL debut and recorded three receptions for 48 receiving yards in a 26–21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 8 against the Los 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. In Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers, Hamler recorded two receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns during the 32–27 victory. On January 2, 2021, Hamler was placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. He finished his rookie season with 30 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns.

#### 2021 season

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. He shone early in preseason, catching a touchdown from Drew Lock during the Broncos' first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 28, 2021.

#### 2022 season

On December 3, 2022, Hamler was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He played in seven games and recorded seven receptions for 165 yards in the 2022 season. 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.
On July 31, 2023, Hamler announced he was diagnosed with pericarditis. Hamler was then waived by the Denver Broncos with a non-football illness designation.

### Indianapolis Colts

Hamler signed with the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts on September 30, 2023. 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.

### Buffalo Bills

Hamler signed a reserve/future contract with the Buffalo Bills on January 20, 2024. He was released as part of final roster cuts on August 27 and signed back to the practice squad the following day. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 28, 2025.