Offense has been the name of the game for the New Orleans Saints so far this offseason, bringing in left guard David Edwards, running back Travis Etienne, and tight end Noah Fant, in an attempt to build off the emergence of quarterback Tyler Shough. With the future of Taysom Hill a bit in flux still, and not many substantial names in the wide receiver room, the Saints may look to add another pass catcher this offseason, or two if they really want to address the two positions.
A name that has popped onto their radar recently is North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly, formerly of UConn. He has put together some strong production over the years and is now looking to make the leap to the NFL, meeting with the Saints’ tight ends coach previously.
Joly broke out in 2023 as a high-level pass catcher for the Huskies, putting up 578 receiving yards on 56 receptions, along with 2 touchdowns. This production continued after his transfer to North Carolina State, putting up 661 and 489 yards respectively in 2024 and 2025, along with 4 and 7 touchdowns.
North Carolina State @PackFootball tight end Justin Joly @jjoly_17 (92 catches, 1,150 yards, 11 touchdowns past two seasons), visiting #Panthers today #Dolphins next Monday-Tuesday #Titans Wednesday-Thursday, previous visits #Bills#Broncos#Chiefs
Met with tight ends coaches… pic.twitter.com/zOJDBLs0EJ
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 9, 2026
His blocking production is also relatively effective as an in-line tight end, allowing 39 pressures but no sacks in 2025, only picking up 2 penalties in the process. In 520 offensive snaps, he was utilized 229 times as a blocker, 187 of which were in the run game and 42 in the passing attack.
While he is on the smaller side of tight end prospects at 6-foot-3 and a half, he has good arm length and hand size to make up for it, and his ability to get vertical creates the rest of the separation. He will be an extremely fun prospect to watch at the NFL level, and could be a real threat for the Saints to bring in alongside Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, and Moliki Matavao.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints TE coach met with North Carolina State prospect Justin Joly
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