The Broncos are sending the Browns a solid pair of picks in order to move up 18 spots and draft NC State tight end Justin Joly at No. 152 overall. Cleveland will receive Denver’s fifth-round pick (170) and the first pick of the sixth round (182) in exchange.
In the final pick of PFR’s 2026 NFL Mock Draft, we projected the Broncos to target a tight end at the first opportunity available to them, since they didn’t own a first-round pick. By the midpoint of Day 2’s festivities, the team didn’t own a second-round pick either. After waking up on the third day of the draft with only one rookie secured, the Broncos got to work today and sacrificed one of their seven Day 3 picks to move up and finally address the tight end spot.
Currently, Denver’s tight ends room is fairly crowded. Led by veterans Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, the rest of the room is filled out by Nate Adkins, Lucas Krull, and Caleb Lohner. Injuries hurt the team’s depth at the position in 2025, though, to the point where they dragged a 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis off the free agent market. Engram led the group in receiving last year with 50 receptions for 461 yards and a touchdown, and Trautman functioned as the group’s main blocking tight end with some assistance from Adkins. Including Trautman’s contributions the receiving production outside of Engram netted 28 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
Joly adds another strong receiving threat to the room. Transferring to Raleigh after two years at UConn, Joly led the Wolfpack in receiving yards (661) in his first year with the team, surpassing eventual transfer and first-round pick KC Concepcion. In 2025, Joly’s yardage dropped a bit (489), but he still led the team in receptions (49) and receiving touchdowns (7). After showing a tendency for drops — six in 2023 — as a Husky, Joly demonstrated improved hands with just four drops at NC State and only one in 2025.
Despite having plus speed, Joly hasn’t shown much as a downfield threat and can improve a lot with his route-running, but he’s an athletic pass catcher with a knack for gaining enough of a cushion of separation to be successful. His strength gives him an advantage in contested catches and makes him a menace as a blocker. He isn’t going to displace Engram from the first-team offense anytime soon, but Joly projects to be an effective second receiving option, providing quarterback Bo Nix with a new, big in-line target.