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The Denver Broncos needed to add to the tight end room in the 2026 NFL Draft and after watching what happened with the inside linebacker position in round two, they decided not to take their chances in round five.
The Broncos traded up to pick No. 152 in the fifth round in order to select North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly. The tight end position was getting thin after Nate Boerkircher and Max Klare were selected in the second round. After Matthew Hibner went to the Baltimore Ravens in round four, the Broncos likely started looking at moving up.
They found a trade partner in the Cleveland Browns, giving up their fifth-round pick (No. 170) and the sixth-round pick (No. 182) that they had gotten from the Buffalo Bills in order to move up. Joly was the best tight end still on the board and he should give the Broncos much more flexibility at the position.
Much like the running back position, the Broncos were going forward with the exact same tight end group that they had last year after re-signing Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull this offseason. After a bit of a disappointing season from free-agent signing Evan Engram, the team needed more.
Analysis and grade for fifth-round selection of Justin Joly
Joly is a bit undersized at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, but he has the athletic traits to be a solid "move" tight end at the professional level. The Broncos have their blocking tight end in Adkins and players who can fill in due to their experience in Trautman and Krull, but Joly is going to bring the kind of weapon that the team was looking for in terms of an athletic tight end with wide receiver traits.
New #Broncos TE Justin Joly calls himself an "army knife" with his versatility.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) April 25, 2026Those were the reasons the Broncos were connected so closely to Eli Stowers, who ultimately went to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round. Late in the draft, the Broncos decided this was a player they needed.
Joly began his college career at Connecticut before transferring to N.C. State. He caught 92 passes in two seasons for the Wolfpack and found the end zone 11 times. Sean Payton wanted a tight end he can move all over the formation and create mismatches in the red zone and that is what Joly brings.
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The Broncos have done a good job filling needs in this draft, even if the inside linebacker position got away, but fans should appreciate this aggressive move to trade up and get a guy that adds to the tight end room perfectly.
Grade: B+
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