With the 39th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns added another playmaker for the offense by selecting wide receiver Denzel Boston (6-foot-3 and 212 pounds) from Washington. It’s the Browns’ only scheduled second-round pick, with two third-round picks still to be made.
Boston Scouting Report
Here is a scouting report from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who had Boston as the sixth-ranked wide receiver prospect on his board in this year’s draft class:
A two-year starter at Washington, Boston was primarily a perimeter
receiver (81.3 percent of snaps aligned wide) in head coach Jedd Fisch’s offense. He joined a Huskies wide receiver room that included Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Germie Bernard and Ja’Lynn Polk, and he waited his turn before leading the team in receiving in both 2024 and ‘25. He was productive at every level of the field, especially near the goal line (14 of his 20 touchdown catches came in the red zone).
A good-sized athlete, Boston plays big and balanced with vacuum hands (3.1 percent drop rate). He treats the catch point like he’s a power forward in the paint, boxing out and using his rangy frame and focus to secure the football. Ball placement wasn’t a strength of Washington quarterbacks, which created opportunities for Boston to show off his catch radius. He doesn’t have the juice to simply run by NFL man coverage, and he won’t be known for his after-the-catch skills, but he is a proven chain-mover (79 percent of his 2025 catches resulted in either a first down or touchdown).
Boston builds his speed with smooth, long strides and naturally adjusts with the hand strength of a ball winner, which should quickly earn him the trust of an NFL quarterback. With his ability to win inside or outside, his game has shades of 2025 Houston Texans draft pick Jayden Higgins.
DBN’s Matt Wilson had a solid draft profile on Boston, which you can read here.
How Boston fits the Cleveland Browns
In the span of a little less than 24 hours, the Browns went from having one of the weakest wide receiver groups in the NFL to one that has some promise.
Boston surpassed 60 receptions and 800 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons to go along with a total of 20 receiving touchdowns. He joins KC Concepcion, one of Cleveland’s first-round selections on Thursday night, to give the Browns a pair of players that can potentially join tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as one of the league’s best trio of young pass catchers.
Now if they only had a quarterback to throw them the ball …
React to the Boston pick
What do you think, Browns fans? Let us know in the comments section below.
