Justin Joly TE NC State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #7 ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/11/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.75 seconds (57%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #7 | |
| ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |
| Last Updated: 03/11/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.75 seconds (57%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.3 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 102.5 | |
| Hands: |
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79% |
| Short Receiving: |
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82% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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88% |
| Deep Threat: |
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88% |
| Blocking: |
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63% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
4th
Overall Rank:
#122
Position rank:
#7 (TE)
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| College Games: 48 College Snaps: 1901 | ||
ESPN RATING: 70/100
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247 RATING: 78/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.2 (85%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Likely - Coastal Carolina |
|
95% |
| Elijah Arroyo - Miami |
|
94% |
| Cade Stover - Ohio State |
|
82% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 152 (DEN)
Draft Profile: Bio
Justin Joly played wide receiver, running back, linebacker and defensive end at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he piled up 123 catches for 1,827 yards and 22 touchdowns across three varsity seasons while helping his team post an 11-1 record as a senior. Lightly recruited as a two-star prospect, he signed with UConn and converted to tight end for the first time as a true freshman in 2022.Joly caught 18 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in his first college season before breaking out as a sophomore with 56 receptions for 586 yards. He transferred to NC State in January 2024 and made an immediate impact, finishing with 43 catches for 661 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 15.4 yards per reception, fourth among all FBS tight ends. He was named to the Mackey Award preseason watch list ahead of that first season in Raleigh.
As a senior in 2025, Joly posted career highs in receptions (49) and touchdowns (seven, tying the NC State program record) and earned first-team All-ACC honors. He capped his college career by winning Tight End MVP at the Senior Bowl.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Outstanding hands and catch radius; drops fell steadily each year in college.
- Wins contested catches at a high rate with strong body control through contact.
- Deep and intermediate receiving grades are among the best in this TE class.
- Smooth athlete who can run seams and force safeties to respect his vertical ability.
- Lines up everywhere: inline, slot, wide, backfield, giving coordinators flexibility.
- Subtle route craft at stems, using stutter-steps and tempo changes to uncover.
- Surprisingly clean pass protection; allowed almost nothing across four seasons.
- Red zone producer with eleven touchdowns over his final two college seasons.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Undersized frame for the position; light and short by NFL tight end standards.
- Run blocking lacks push and consistent effort; more wall-off than drive blocker.
- Pad level runs high and base gets wide in blocking engagements.
- Yards after catch and explosiveness declined noticeably from 2024 to 2025.
- Drifts on route breaks at times, giving defenders a window to undercut.
- Doesn't always extend hands away from frame to meet the football cleanly.
Scouting Report: Summary
An offense that moves its tight ends around and features them as receivers is where Joly makes the most sense. His receiving ability is real. He tracks the ball well downfield, adjusts to off-target throws, and finishes through contact in a way that gives you confidence he can handle tight windows at the NFL level. The route running is not yet polished, but there is craft and feel there, and a coaching staff that invests in his footwork could see meaningful returns. Operating as a moveable piece in 12 and 13 personnel, he can line up attached, in the slot, or flexed out wide without tipping the play call.The blocking is the obvious concern. He can wall off and compete on effort plays, and his pass protection work was quietly productive in college, but the run game tape shows a player who needs to add functional strength and play with better leverage before any coordinator trusts him on early downs as an inline option. At his size, he may never be a plus run blocker, which limits his snap count on a team that values two-way tight ends.
Still, the receiving upside gives him a clear lane. He caught passes from multiple quarterbacks across two programs and produced everywhere he played. The Senior Bowl MVP performance confirmed what the tape already suggested: he can separate, catch, and score against quality competition. Joly can carve out a role early and grow into a dependable target in the middle of the field.
Justin Joly percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Justin Joly (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
108.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
9.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.