Two years ago, Denzel Boston was waiting his turn in a crowded UW Huskies wide receiver room that included the talented trio of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. All three of those wideouts were early-round picks in the ensuing NFL Draft, led by Odunze at No. 9 overall.
Now, it’s Boston who’s gaining some big-time draft hype.
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Boston, who will be a redshirt junior for the Huskies this fall, is already projected to be a 2026 first-round pick by a pair of NFL Draft analysts. CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has Boston going at No. 16 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in his recent mock draft, while ESPN’s Matt Miller has Boston going at No. 31 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.
A local product out of Puyallup’s Emerald Ridge High School, Boston had a breakout campaign last fall with 63 receptions for 834 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s set to be UW’s go-to receiver this season, with 2024 leading receiver Giles Jackson having graduated.
Denzel Boston’s 8️⃣ TD receptions pace the @bigten 🙌
Watch each of the @UW_Football WR’s scoring grabs 👇#B1GFootball x @dl_boston5 pic.twitter.com/qqggp2AjKM
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 8, 2024
Boston has a 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame, which he used to haul in 12 of 22 contested targets last season, according to Pro Football Focus. His 54.5% contested catch rate was tied for the 12th-best among Power Four wideouts with at least 20 contested targets.
Boston also has good speed for his size. He reached 22 mph last year, according to PFF’s player tracking data.
With his height and athleticism, Boston is drawing comparisons to Carolina Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan, who was the No. 8 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft. PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote that Boston is “the Tetairoa McMillan of this year’s class,” while ESPN’s Miller wrote that Boston’s “physical, above-the-rim style is a lot like Tetairoa McMillan’s style.”
During Monday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard discussed the attention that Boston is starting to attract.
Huard also mentioned the promising trio of skill-position players the Huskies have in Boston, running back Jonah Coleman and dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Coleman is Chadwick’s 46th-ranked draft prospect for 2026, while the electrifying Williams could be poised for a breakout season in his first year as UW’s full-time starting QB.
“There’s some star power, man,” Huard said. “There’s some draft capital on this roster. And with Demond Williams at QB, the momentum is certainly moving the right way as well.”
Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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