Justin Joly Prospect Profile Draft
Background
Justin Joly grew up in Brewster, New York, and commuted daily to Iona Prep in New Rochelle to face stiffer competition than his local schools offered. He played wide receiver, running back, linebacker, and defensive end, carried a 3.7 GPA, played basketball, and helped lead Iona Prep to a CHSFL AAA Championship across three varsity seasons in which he caught 123 passes for 1,827 yards and 22 touchdowns. Despite that production, he graduated as a two-star recruit with limited options and signed with UConn, where he converted to tight end for the first time as a true freshman. He led the Huskies in receptions as a sophomore, then transferred to NC State, citing a desire for bigger opportunities and better academic competition. At NC State he was an immediate impact player, 43 catches for 661 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, followed by a career high seven touchdown season in 2025 that earned him first-team All-ACC honors before he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
Justin Joly is a slightly undersized TE standing at 6'3.5" and weighing 241 lbs. His frame looks like it could pack on a little more weight, but that would come at the expense of what he is there to do, which is catch the ball. Joly has decent speed and good agility, but his strength lets him down.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my TE radar charts, you can find more information here
Joly is a receiving TE. The only reason to have him block in the NFL is to keep defenses honest, in that he cannot afford to be that big of a tell. Defenders with any strength will quickly realize the way to get past Joly is to go right through him; he offers a cursory effort to stop them. His feet are all over the place , and his strength cannot make up for it.
His strength lets him down past the line of scrimmage as well. Whenever a defender plays him close, he struggles to break free and loses a lot of speed. Unlike most other TEs, Joly struggles to find the extra yard when getting tackled too, and meets the defender right where they are and ends up right there.
When not so tightly contested, Joly finds decent spots in zone coverage. I wish he worked more for his QB, trying to stay open and working back towards the ball when needed. His hands are great, though, and he catches nearly everything thrown his way.
Joly also had one of the toughest plays I saw this year, where he tweaked his hamstring and ran the last 20 yards hobbling to the end zone against Pitt. Shows how much he will fight for winning and his team.
Grade and Outlook
Joly will be 22 his whole rookie year, so he still has time to grow. Growing into a three-down TE that never leaves the field might be a bridge too far, but he can certainly develop into a supplemental weapon for his offense.
Grade: 4.2 (4th Rounder)