With their fifth round pick, the Denver Broncos finally looked to address their tight end position a bit with the selection of NC State’s Justin Joly. He went much later than many draft analysts expected with some even having him ranked as high as 4th best tight end on their draft boards. In the mid-term, I am very excited about this pick, but I do think he won’t be jumping the veterans on the depth chart here as a rookie.
Three picks left to cover after this one. Here is everything we did on Joly
over draft weekend and beyond.
Broncos daily recap
Nik Bonitto is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL
The numbers back up what the eye test already tells you. MHR digs into SIS data showing Bonitto owns the 11th-best pressure rate (15.62%) among all players with 400-plus pass rushes since entering the league in 2022 — and the last two seasons have been a different gear entirely. Bonitto followed up his 13.5-sack, Pro Bowl/Second-Team All-Pro 2024 campaign with a career-high 14.0 sacks in 2025, good for fifth in the NFL. That’s 27.5 sacks over two seasons from a former second-round pick who has quietly climbed into the conversation among the league’s elite edge rushers, anchoring a defense that led the NFL in sacks in back-to-back years.
Potent quotables – Justin Joly focus
Paton and Payton quotes on Joly
On TE Justin Joly and the different types of tight ends
Sean Payton: “I’m going to kind of hit both tight ends [TE Justin Joly and TE Dallen Bentley]. With Bentley, there’s a more in-line wide, bigger. He does a great job down the field. With Joli, that would put him more in the ‘F’ category. Both are tight ends, and both have unique skill sets. They’re different.””
Justin Joly quotes
On the Broncos’ vision for him at tight end
“Honestly, anything they need me to do, I’m looking forward to. They just said I have to go out there and ball… They said to me to go play all over the field. I’m obviously going to learn from the big guys and the older guys. Just looking forward to being there and being with the team. [Head Coach] Sean Payton and [General Manager] George Paton both believe in me. I’m looking forward to it.”
On whom he’s watching the draft with and the scene at his house
“There’s probably like 20 people at my house right now, and they all just saw the TV, and they are going crazy right now, to say the least. (Laughs)”
On his Top 30 visit with the Broncos
“I feel like there are a lot of things that they feel like I can do, being used in the backfield, in the slot. Obviously I’m going to have to learn and get ready to just play. Overall I look forward to it, and I know they do to. I’m just happy they believe in my skill set.”
On what he feels like he does best and what he wants to improve on in the NFL
“I always feel like my hands work really well, and I’m a security blanket for my quarterback. When you have a great quarterback like [QB] Bo Nix, you live life a little bit easier. Overall, just getting better at the run game. I’m just here to do whatever they need me to do. As soon as my name is called, I’m blessed with that without a doubt.”
On what he has learned to expect from QB Bo Nix
“Honestly just leadership and knowing what you’re doing all the time. He’s such a smart quarterback, and I love having the opportunity to see him play for the Broncos now. It’s just being reliable and be there when he needs you. That’s really what it is, whatever opportunities I might get, make the most of it because I’m not doing it for myself—I’m doing it for my team as well.”
On if improving in the run game is a function of how tight ends are used in the college game
“I’m super confident obviously. I feel like I’m going to have more coaching as well, so just being able to go down there and show off that I can do both, catching and blocking. I feel like the Broncos have faith in me. They chose me for a reason there.”
Under the radar
I posted this in the FEED already, but its just too cool of an edit to not make sure as many people saw it as possible. Love this addition to the roster!
From the FEED
A good point from drtacp this morning. With so little draft capital, the Broncos were clearly looking for guys who could develop into starter-level talent after this season. It was a smart strategy.
GratefulBronco asked today if the Denver Broncos have done enough to improve at tight end. I’m not convinced they did for 2026, but maybe with Joly they have a solution in development there in future seasons.
Everything Justin Joly
We here at Mile High Report covered each Denver Broncos draft pick in a variety of ways, but the news feed got deep fast and much of that coverage was buried in short order. Here is everything we did on tight end Justin Joly over draft weekend ICYMI:
NFL Draft Profile: NC State TE Justin Joly
MHR’s pre-draft profile on Joly flagged him as an impact red zone threat long before Denver pulled the trigger. The 6’3″, 241-pound tight end transferred from UConn to NC State and immediately produced, posting 43 catches for 661 yards and four touchdowns as a junior (15.4 yards per catch, fourth among FBS tight ends) before exploding for 49 receptions and 11 touchdowns as a senior — second-most among all FBS tight ends. He’s a contested-catch monster with strong hands, a smooth route runner, and a Senior Bowl MVP performance that confirmed the tape. The knock: an undersized frame with run blocking that lacks push, and he’s not an explosive mover. Built in the mold of Jonnu Smith, he profiles as a “move” tight end in 12-personnel rather than a traditional in-line blocker.Denver Broncos select TE Justin Joly with their 152nd overall selection
Denver traded up to make sure Joly didn’t slip any further, sending their fifth-round (No. 170) and sixth-round (No. 182) picks to Cleveland in exchange for the 152nd pick. Most analysts had Joly graded as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 talent, so getting him in the fifth round after he slid well past his projected range was a legitimate value grab. He became the first NC State tight end drafted since Anthony Hill went to Houston in 2009.Denver Broncos tight end Justin Joly highlights
The highlights showcase exactly what Denver is getting — a three-level receiving threat who wins in the middle of the field and is a nightmare in the red zone. Joly’s tape shows strong hands in traffic, the ability to separate against linebackers and safeties on intermediate routes, and reliable scoring touch near the goal line. He lines up all over the formation as a chess piece and even flashes surprising ability as a pass protector, though his run blocking remains a work in progress.Why the Broncos drafted TE Justin Joly
The tight end room needed life, and Joly is the injection. Evan Engram failed to deliver as the “Joker” last season, and Adam Trautman is mostly a blocker — neither gave Bo Nix a reliable middle-of-the-field weapon. Joly’s contested-catch ability and red zone scoring production fill that exact void. Denver moved up specifically to grab him because they see him as the kind of versatile pass catcher who can be a three-level threat for Nix in the same 12-personnel packages Sean Payton loves to deploy. More Robin than Batman, but a Robin this offense badly needed.
How do you feel about Justin Joly?
