Denzel Boston, Washington Huskies
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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders are lacking a WR1 or a young receiver that can be that No. 1 guy. However, the Silver and Black can not only find their franchise QB, potentially in Fernando Mendoza, but also find a player who has the upside to be a WR1.
Las Vegas could be patient and see which wideout falls out of the first round, then snag them early in the second round; that would be the safe approach. However, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes believes the Raiders should get aggressive.
For Kimes, she would like the Silver and Black to jump back in the first round to draft former Washington Huskies star Denzel Boston.
“If you’ve got a big guy who catches everything, do we stop liking that in the NFL? Which brings me to the team that I want to take [Boston],” Kimes said in anApril 9 video from “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny.” “I want the Las Vegas Raiders to trade back into the first round and get Fernando Mendoza the X receiver he deserves.
“The best throw in Fernando Mendoza’s arsenal is that beautiful back-shoulder ball that’s on the money. He needs a big-bodied receiver who catches everything. It’s such a missing component right now in their offense.”
Last season for the Huskies,Boston posted an 87.7 overall PFF grade, ranking 14th among 679 qualified wide receivers. His 86.6 receiving grade also stood out, placing him 25th among the same group. Moreover, he finished the year with 56 catches on 86 targets for 755 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 13.5 yards per reception.
Kirk Cousins Gets Blunt About Brock Bowers
Mendoza or possibly veteran QB Kirk Cousins will need that No. 1 guy, which Boston could be if he lives up to his potential. Nonetheless, the Raiders have one of the best pass-catchers in Brock Bowers, so any young wideout won’t have the pressure of being the go-to guy right out of the gate.
In a video published on the Raiders’ YouTube channel on April 6, Cousins didn’t hold back his thoughts on the tight end.
“I think he may be the best tight end in football,“ Cousins said. “Hopefully, we can make that a reality this fall, but we’ve got to keep him healthy, just like some of the other great players on this team.”
Despite an injury-plagued 2025 season,Brock Bowers finished with a 78.8 overall PFF grade, ranking sixth among 37 qualified tight ends. His receiving grade of 82.2 placed him fifth in that group.
Bowers caught 64 passes on 83 targets for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 10.6 yards per reception. Moreover, he gained 296 yards after the catch and had three drops on the season.
Raiders’ Brock Bowers Draws More Praise
Moreover, Cousins went into specifics about what makes Bowers a talented tight end and why the veteran QB is eager to start playing with the pass-catcher in the upcoming 2026 season.
“He gives us the ability to use a lot of different personnel groupings, which can allow us to be very creative with how we attack defenses,“ Cousins added. “I’ve always really enjoyed playing with talented tight ends because of the curveball they throw at defenses.
“I expect Brock to be as good of a curveball as I’ve ever played with, and I can’t wait to see how we can use him. Getting on the grass with him and even running routes in the air is going to be exciting to watch a guy like that go to work.”