Justin Joly Scouting Report

Justin Joly excelled at UCONN and then again at NC State. Even if he doens’t precisely fit the mold, his production hints he will fit the bill for NFL scouts. Because Joly racked up scores and yards wherever he went, and project well as an alt TE in a lot of systems.

Tape Scouting Report

Justin Joly’s has put gigabytes of highlights on the internet, and that’s in large part to his natural craftiness as a route runner. It defies his stature, but Joly has incredibly deft feet. He gets through breaks and stems like player weighing 30lbs less. Joly is one of the best leverage techs in this year’s class. So even though he isn’t the tallest TE prospect, he’s usually got the upper hand. Joly cna appear downright crafty separating against matched and man type cover: using his shoulder, jab and rocker steps, and an occasional head fake. The kid has bulletproof hands, and finds a niche for a catch easily in tight zones. Finally his ability to stay present for his QB has helped the Wolfpack tremendously. Joly is a little undersized as a blocker. And he’s raw, to be polite. He can stalk well for you, and given a head of steam can make an impact. But he simply doesn’t have the tape blocking larger ends you would like to see.

For more see our Tight End Rankings | Cutcall

Athletic Scouting Report

Joly is not what anyone would call explosive, but he has real burst in his first few steps and knows how to use it. He is densely built with a low center of gravity. Couple that with natural power for his size, and you see why he was such a big YAC threat throughout college. He doesn’t have the kind of catch radius the traditional Y TE might. But Joly is downright comforting to his QBs in contested catch scenarios, because he’s powerful, reflexive, and he’s balanced like a top. Watch enough Joly games and you will see some real brick house moments on tape, where Justin Joly plays through defenders like the ball was his from birth. His pure linear speed will probably reduce his capacity to finally tilt a game in the NFL. And his build will limit his ceiling as a box dominator, but his athletic profile is stout.

Related: 2026 Big Board | Cutcall

Draft Stock Report

Justin Joly is a difficult TE to place, because he brings together a suite of virtues that really need to be taken outside of pure positional context. In the end, he put up 2k yards, and 15 tds at the power 5 level. And despite hand wringing from the Y-or-die population, there is a real niche for the tough/crafty 2nd TE in the NFL. So as a pure chain mover, the movement blocker potential, Joly is a Gold Chip type. And he might wait until day 3 to pick up the phone, but we don’t think he’ll wait long.

Athletics

Route Technique

Catch Point

Blocking