NC State Lands 2 on The Senior Bowl Preseason Top 300 List

The Senior Bowl released their first-ever Preseason Top 300 list yesterday, and NC State had 2 players represented: Tight End Justin Joly and Nose Tackle Brandon Cleveland.

In years past, the Senior Bowl would release a Preseason Watch List that included 850 players. The goal of the new Top-300 list is to highlight the very best players in the country.

The Senior Bowl scouting department, comprised entirely of former NFL scouts, has been hard at work since last February, evaluating over 2,000 prospects from all levels of college football. From that extensive and competitive process, the Senior Bowl Top 300 was composed.

The Senior Bowl takes great pride in identifying and showcasing the “Best of the Best.” The results speak for themselves: 50% of the players selected in the top three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft were Panini Senior Bowl participants. In keeping with that high standard, the Senior Bowl made a deliberate decision to be more selective, thus moving away from the 850 players featured on last year’s watchlist and narrowing the focus to a more exclusive group of 300.

This list represents more than just a preseason acknowledgment; it reflects the highest standards in college football. Being named to the Senior Bowl Top 300 list is a meaningful honor and signals that the prospects on this list are viewed among the very best in the country. Only draft eligible players are featured on this list.

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Joly has earned numerous preseason All-American and All-ACC accolades heading into this season. He transferred to NC State last offseason after spending his first two seasons at UCONN. In 2024, he caught 43 passes for 661 yards and 4 touchdowns. He led the Wolfpack in receiving yards and ranked 2nd in both receptions and touchdown receptions. His PFF grade was 70.5, which ranked 7th on the Wolfpack offense.

Joly had the 2nd-most receiving yards among tight ends in the ACC last season.

This past year was Cleveland’s first season in a starting role, and he didn’t disappoint. He was the fifth-highest graded player on the Wolfpack defense according to PFF, with a grade of 73.4. Cleveland also had the fourth-best run defense grade (73.4).

Cleveland finished the 2024 season with 36 tackles and 4 tackles for loss.