The Cleveland Browns selected Denzel Boston out of Washington with the seventh pick of the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Boston was selected 39th overall and became the first Husky off the board in this year’s draft.
Cleveland Browns Select Denzel Boston
The new Cleveland Brown was the leading receiver for Washington in 2025. He caught 62 passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. The LA Bowl against Boise State was the final game of his collegiate career, and it was one of his best. Boston caught six passes for 126 yards inside SoFi Stadium in mid-December. That performance included a 78-yard touchdown reception, which was Washington’s longest play from scrimmage of the season.
Boston’s abilities extended past just catching passes during his time in college as well. In what was his best career game, Boston caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s 42-25 win over Illinois. That game included a 12-yard passing touchdown off the throwing arm of Boston, who connected with Jonah Coleman for the score.
The former Husky was also a reliable punt returner during his two years as a starting wide receiver under Jedd Fisch. Boston returned 26 punts for 220 total yards in his career and never muffed a punt. That included a 78-yard return touchdown against UC Davis in 2025. Though he was a starting receiver, Fisch continuously pointed to Boston’s sure-handedness as the primary reason for putting him back deep on special teams.
Boston’s Career at UW
Over the course of his four years at Washington, Boston played in 43 games. He totaled 1,781 yards and 20 touchdowns on 132 receptions. Impressively, in back-to-back seasons, Boston had nearly identical receiving statistics in 2024 and 2025. He caught 63 passes for 834 yards in 2024 and 62 passes for 881 receiving yards this past season. He was the team’s leader in reception touchdowns each year.
Winning Contested Catches
One of Boston’s differentiating factors at wide receiver is his ability to turn 50/50 passes into 70/30 passes. Boston’s contested catch numbers at Washington were significant. The former Husky receiver pulled down 10 contested catches in 2025 on 13 opportunities. The year prior, with Will Rogers at quarterback, Boston pulled down 12 contested catches. In total, he had just five in his entire career. On multiple occasions, Boston showed he can win battles at the catch point with defenders with strong hands.
During the 2025 season, Boston described how he trains his catch-point skills. “I’m on that jug machine catching every other angle, turning my body,” Boston said. “Even the tennis ball machine [for] a smaller ball to catch. [I’m] just using those resources to my use.”
“He’s just a great motivational guy,” Demond Williams said of his former teammate. “He comes to work every day, ready to work, brings energy every single day. [He’s] just somebody that anybody would like on their team.”
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
