Maybe it’s just common sense, but NFL teams don’t draft long snappers very often. Maybe once every few years 1 will come along who is good enough to get drafted in the final few rounds.
That doesn’t mean the position just magically replenishes itself.
That’s why the Denver Broncos, despite having a very highly thought of long snapper in place with veteran Mitchell Fraboni, are still seeing what’s out there.
“USC long snapper Hank Pepper, one of the top players at his position in the NFL Draft, has a private workout with Broncos per a league source,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “Was a semifinalist for William V. Campbell trophy (academic Heisman) and a team captain.”
According to Pro Football Reference, the Broncos have never drafted a player designated primarily as a long snapper in franchise history.
Battled Health Issues in High School & College
Pepper, 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, battled serious health issues in both high school and his 1st college stop, at Michigan State, before making his way to USC.
In high school, Pepper was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which caused him to lose 60 pounds. After becoming the starting long snapper at Michigan State as a freshman, Pepper was diagnosed with the autoimmune blood disorder IgA Vasculitis as a sophomore in 2022.
That caused him not only to lose 60 pounds again but also left him in extreme pain.
“There were a lot of days where I couldn’t do a whole lot other than lying in bed,” Pepper told USCTrojans.com’s Jai Ahuja in 2025. “I couldn’t even walk up the stairs. I didn’t think football was going to be a possibility anymore because I felt so brittle.”
Pepper’s health turned around once the Chandler, Arizona, native landed at USC, where he became their full-time long snapper for the last 2 seasons.
“Hank impacts the game with his outstanding execution as well as his exceptional punt coverage,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley told Ahuja. “He’s relentlessly committed to excellence. Hank’s energy is palpable, and he brings out the best in his teammates.”
In 4 seasons at USC and Michigan State, Pepper played in 35 games with 12 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries.
What to Know About Broncos LS Mitchell Fraboni
The Broncos paid Fraboni big money — for a long snapper — when they signed him to a 3-year, $4.75 million contract in March 2025.
That was a reward for not only being so consistent but a bet he’d stay as consistent moving forward. Fraboni played 4 games for the Broncos in 2022 and has played in every regular-season game and playoff game for the last 3 seasons — a streak of 54 consecutive games.
Fraboni was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2025 and was named to the Pro Football Focus NFL All-Pro Team in 2023.
The path to becoming an NFL starter for Fraboni wasn’t a straight line. He was a standout at Arizona State from 2014 to 2017 but went undrafted in 2018. Fraboni was with the Houston Texans in minicamp in 2018 and with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
It wasn’t until 2021 that he landed on an actual roster, with the Texans. He spent the 1st part of 2022 with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers and finally played in his 1st NFL regular-season game with the Broncos in 2022 — a full 5 years since he last played in a meaningful game with Arizona State in 2017.
Broncos Host USC Special Teams Star for Pre-Draft Workout