ESPN’s Field Yates tweeted that the San Francisco 49ers are hosting former Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston on one of the pre-draft 30 visits on Tuesday. Boston is a 4-year junior who will be 22 on draft day.
The 49ers added Mike Evans this offseason. They’re hopeful Ricky Pearsall can remain healthy. Christian Kirk is currently slated to start in the slot. You can’t help but think about potential injuries with that trio. Plus, the lack of longevity.
With that said, including the lack of depth
behind the starters, it’s easy to see why the 49ers would look to continue to add to their wide receiver room. Boston is currently ranked 29th on average on the NFL’s consensus big board.
Boston measured at 6’3″ 5/8 and 212 pounds. That is a drastic difference from the types of wideouts the Niners have previously drafted, including Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, and Junior Bergen. Boston is a ball-winner—the ways the receivers listed above win are predicated on speed.
Boston didn’t run at the NFL Combine. He also didn’t participate in the broad jump. His vertical jump was in the 42nd percentile, and his 20-yard short shuttle was in the 38th percentile.
If Boston was testing well during his pre-draft prep, he would have run the 40-yard dash. Agents often advise their clients to sit out of specific drills if the time isn’t up to par. However, Boston didn’t win with speed in college, and that won’t be how he wins in the NFL.
Stats don’t always tell the full story, but Boston’s 1.2 percent drop rate matches how good his hands are. He’s not the typical yards after catch threat, but adding Evans may be a sign that Kyle Shanahan is pivoting away from that style of player. Or, Boston is the Evans’ replacement a year or two from now.
Moston caught 95 percent of his catchable targets last season. At Washington, Boston played in a pro-style offense under Jedd Fisch. Despite questions about Boston’s speed, he had 20 targets of at least 20+ yards. If you can’t win down the field, you’re not getting that many opportunities.
Boston caught eight of those 24 20+ air-yard targets. PFF credited him for two drops, but they also had him winning four of six contested situations. That is the definition of a “ball winner.” Overall, Boston caught 10 of 13 contested situations.
Watching the 49ers’ wide receivers struggle in similar situations last season, it would be natural for the offense to pivot to a receiver like Boston.
Boston won’t be confused for a speedster or a quick-twitched athlete. However, he’s competitive as a blocker, can find the soft spots in zone coverage, and is good enough off the line of scrimmage to warrant a first-round pick.
My worry with Boston would be how often he struggled to win through contact before the ball was thrown. This would lead to Boston getting thrown off his route or the timing of the play being disrupted. That’s a bigger issue than the perceived lack of play speed, in my opinion.
The “big body” receivers are all better suited for success early in the NFL in this draft, for my money. I have Boston ranked ahead of the Omar Coopers and the K.C. Concepcions, but behind the other big receivers. Boston seems like a Shanahan-style receiver because of what he can bring to the table in the run game and how he can win at every level.
In this draft, he’s worthy of the No. 27 overall pick.
