Broncos trade up in fifth round: Full details of move to get Justin Joly originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Denver Broncos made an aggressive move to come up in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft in order to get the tight end they wanted, Justin Joly of North Carolina State.

The Broncos missed out on an inside linebacker in the second round and after seeing several tight ends come off the board, decided they didn't want to take the risk that Joly wouldn't be there at pick No. 170. That led to a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

Browns receive: 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 170), 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 182)

The Broncos gave up the sixth-round pick they had received from the Buffalo Bills earlier in the draft in exchange for moving up 18 spots. It's a good move be general manager George Paton, and one that allowed the Broncos to make a perfect addition to their tight end group.

Joly is a versatile option who will add a dimension to the tight end room that the team didn't have last season, much like Jonah Coleman will do for the running back position. In terms of filling needs, this has been a tremendous selection process for the Broncos.

After trading those picks to Cleveland, the Broncos have only their seventh-round picks remaining. Those choices will come at Nos. 246, 256 and 257. Those last two picks are the last two picks in the draft, which means, barring a trade, that the Broncos will select this year's "Mr. Irrelevant".

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