NC State TE Justin Joly selected by Denver Broncos in fifth round of NFL Draft

NC State tight end Justin Joly is used to working for everything in his football career. He rose from being the No. 2,113 recruit out of New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep to an All-ACC talent at NC State four years later. 

Now, he can add a new entry to his resume: NFL draft pick. 

Joly was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round (No. 152 overall) of this weekend’s draft to become the first Wolfpack player off the board Friday night in Pittsburgh. He is the first NC State tight end to be picked since Anthony Hill was a fourth-rounder in 2009.

The 6-foot-3, 251-pound player, who began his collegiate career at UConn, emerged as one of the tight ends in college football over the past two seasons. He caught 92 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns over his two years with the Pack. 

For Joly, a pro prospect that turned heads at the Senior Bowl to earn MVP honors in his position group, transferring to the Wolfpack was one of the best decisions he could have made. From his point of view, learning from Gavin Locklear was a critical experience in his college career.

“Honestly, I think it helped me a lot,” Joly said after NC State’s pro day inside the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility last month. “I leveled up, I was more mature, I became a better person and better player. … And because of that, I am who I am today.”

Joly’s time at UConn was headlined by a strong sophomore campaign in which he posted 56 receptions for 578 yards and two touchdowns during the 2023 season. It led him to being the top-ranked tight end in the transfer portal before he committed to NC State. 

The Brewster, N.Y., native burst onto the scene with the Wolfpack, leading the team with 661 yards in 2024. He did so on 43 receptions, averaging a career-best 15.4 yards per catch, while he added a then-career-most four touchdowns. 

Joly, a player with an elite work ethic, looked to leave his mark in his senior season this past fall. He caught a career-most 49 passes for 489 yards but still managed to haul in seven touchdowns, the second-most of all FBS tight ends, while being at the top of the scouting report for opposing defenses. 

Although he left the game early due to a hamstring injury suffered on a 59-yard touchdown grab, Joly’s signature moment with NC State was a six-reception afternoon that led to a career-best 101-yard effort with two touchdowns in the first half at Pitt on Oct. 25.

And after a productive two-year stint with the Pack, Joly is off to the NFL as the first Locklear-developed player to make the leap to the next level.

“This is something that you tell yourself when you’re a little kid,” Joly said. “Some people believe in you, some people don’t. But as long as you’ve got faith in yourself, you’re capable of doing it. I feel like I’m living through that.”