Film Room: Why Justin Joly Could Be a Weapon for the Broncos

If there is any one position group on the Denver Broncos roster that has more question marks than answers, it's the tight end room. Denver hasn’t had a fearsome threat at tight end for nearly a decade and a half, going back to Julius Thomas’s reign of terror back in the early 2010s.

While the Broncos have tried throwing darts at the position in free agency with names like Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, and Lucas Krull, as well as trying to mine the undrafted ranks with guys like Nate Adkins, no one has made a significant impact as a game-changing threat over the middle of the field.

That could be changing here soon, as the Broncos selected North Carolina State’s Justin Joly with the 152nd overall selection of the 2026 NFL draft.

A highly productive senior who led two different programs in receptions during his collegiate career, Joly is a smaller player at the tight end position who flashes a lot of potential as a “move” tight end coming out of slot and wing alignments. Despite sliding down the board during draft weekend, he was widely regarded as one of the better options as a power slot receiver on day three.

I analyzed Joly’s games against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech in 2025 and against California in 2024 for this week’s film room. Let’s dive into the tape.

High-Point Contested Catches

Justin Joly does a great job high-pointing the football for a smaller player at the tight end position. He's so good at tracking the ball and concentrating at the catch point. 66% career contested catch rate in college is outstanding. pic.twitter.com/WDoa4kCFIn
— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) June 29, 2026

Despite measuring in at just shy of 6-foot-4 (25th percentile) and 241 pounds (9th percentile) with 32-¼” arms (24th percentile), Joly shows an incredible ability to win contested catches at the highest point when working down the field as a vertical threat. He does a great job of fighting through contact at the catch point, using his frame to box out defenders and pluck the ball out of the air with his massive 10-½” hands.

Over the course of his college career, Joly posted a 66% contested-catch rate, which was the highest of any tight end in the 2026 class.

Even though Joly doesn’t create a lot of separation as a route runner, he uses subtle hand fighting and push-off maneuvers to open up space in a phone booth. Watch how he stacks the defender through the stem of his route to get them on his back hip as he progresses down the field. With the ball in the air, he shields the defender away and snatches it at its highest point with strong hands and body control.

Even though N.C. State didn’t make Joly a priority as a red-zone threat, these types of plays are incredibly effective as the field shrinks. His physicality at the catch point and above-average athleticism as a seam stretcher should translate rather well to the next level.

Body Control

This is great body control from Justin Joly on the sideline. That's an NFL catch. pic.twitter.com/rkZQwXJ56h
— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) June 29, 2026

Another great aspect of Joly’s game is his ability to manipulate his body to open up separation as a route runner and work the sidelines as a receiver. While he may not be the most explosive athlete in stop-and-start situations, he does a nice job of sinking his hips in and out of his breaks and concentrates well as a receiver working toward the boundary.

Joly understands zone coverage really well and does a nice job of throttling down in open space to present a target for his quarterback within the timing of the play, and he also does a nice job of releasing to space on scramble drills.

On this rep against Virginia Tech, Joly shows his penchant for separating from defenders during the scramble drill. Despite being blanketed in coverage early in the rep, he throws the defender down the field as he sinks his hips and comes to a sudden stop to create separation.

Joly's balance and body control are phenomenal as he works toward the sideline, and he understands that he has to keep both feet down on a difficult ball. This is a great catch as he is falling out of bounds.

Decent Run-After-the-Catch Ability

I think Joly has some underappreciated toughness after the catch. He needs some space to get rolling, but man he is tough to bring down. pic.twitter.com/iUAyPlyrOe
— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) June 29, 2026

N.C. State liked to use Joly as an option in its quick-passing game because he is incredibly reliable catching the football. He only had two total drops in 2025, and a lot of his production came from less than 10 yards down the field. This opened a lot of run-after-the-catch opportunities, and there was a lot to be desired, especially as a senior.

While Joly is a good athlete, he has some stiffness in his hips when changing direction in short areas, and he went down on first contact more often than not. With that said, he does bring a “lunch pail” mentality when working in space with the ball in his hands, and when he gets a head of steam, he is hard to bring down.

The Wolfpack tried to use Joly in the tight end screen game at times. When they did, he did a nice job of burying his head down to gain yards after contact.

These next couple of plays highlight Joly's toughness with the ball in his hands, and even though they aren’t “explosive plays” in the breakaway sense, they do show how hard he is to get to the ground when smaller defenders try to tackle him.

Run-Blocking Inconsistencies

Joly has run blocking inconsistencies, but there is some good on his tape. Most of his issues are coachable. pic.twitter.com/Yna3NCqS7A
— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) June 29, 2026

One of the reasons why Joly slid down the draft board in April is his frustrating inconsistency as a run blocker at the point of attack. He was effectively used as a lead blocker when coming across the formation from an attached wing alignment, but his hand placement, pad level, and technique were all sloppy and flawed.

There were too many examples of defenders deconstructing Joly's blocking technique, and he has a bad habit of ducking his head and leaning into contact rather than using his hands to jar defenders off their spot. His lack of size and length was also an issue on tape, as bigger defenders could overpower him with relative ease.

Those issues are mostly coachable, so long as the player shows the willingness to stick their head in there and be a participant. Joly does have some nice reps on his tape, but he has a long way to go to be relied upon as a three-down player at the next level.

Sean Payton and Justin Joly. — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with tight end Justin Joly at rookie minicamp. | Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Effective Blocking From the Slot

Joly is much more effective as a blocker on the boundary. Not the best reps here, but it's effective. pic.twitter.com/BdZtxcrLzz
— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) June 29, 2026

On the other hand, Joly does a nice job out of the slot when tasked with digging out cornerbacks and safeties on screens and when run plays bounce to the outside. When he has the size advantage and keeps his eyes on his target, he can do a nice job of displacing defenders down the field to help spring open explosive gains.

Joly is competitive, and there are several examples where he finds work down the field when the ball doesn’t come his way. It’s not flashy work, but it’s effective.

Identifying and landing on smaller, quicker defenders is no easy task. Despite having some whiffs at the second level at times, Joly offers more consistency in space as a blocker than he does in a phone booth.

The Takeaway

Given his draft status, inconsistency as a blocker, and the room as a whole, it may take a while before Joly becomes a consistent contributor for the Broncos offense. After all, the Broncos do have a pair of trusted veterans in Trautman — a favorite of head coach Sean Payton — and Engram standing in his way of playing time.

Joly has all of the tools to be a reliable pass catcher and a secondary option at the tight end position, but he needs to develop as a three-down player before he will see the field. He could see an early impact for the Broncos as a red-zone target, as his contested-catch ability in jump-ball situations cannot be overstated.

The nice thing for Joly is that he is going to get a firsthand look at his role as a professional. His skillset mirrors Engram’s in several ways, and he was likely drafted as a replacement for that specific role.

Engram is also in the last year of his current contract, and unless he improves his production coming off a disappointing 2026 season, he will likely be allowed to test the waters of free agency once again.

I don’t expect a lot from Joly in his rookie campaign, but he could get some spot duty and a handful of opportunities to shine as the season progresses.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google