Lamar Jackson
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The Baltimore Ravens hosted a 2026 NFL draft wide receiver who's a potential steal for Lamar Jackson.
Adding another wide receiver for franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson to throw to hasn’t dominated rumors concerning the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2026 NFL draft, but the team did recently host a 6-foot-4 target expected to be “underdrafted,” but who represents a bargain near the middle of the first round.
That’s good news for the Ravens, owners of the 14th-overall pick, and they met with Denzel Boston, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. He reported on Saturday, April 11 how “Boston is visiting the#Jets today after spending Friday with the#Ravens. The 6-4, 212-pounder earned All-Big Ten honors with his 11 TDs and is considered a 1st-round pick.”
Jordan Schultz
Source: Washington WR Denzel Boston is visiting the #Jets today after spending Friday with the #Ravens.
The 6-4, 212-pounder earned All-Big Ten honors with his 11 TDs and is considered a 1st-round pick.
There is room for Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta to put another dynamic wideout at Jackson’s disposal. The latter is entering a pivotal year, on the cusp of a likely historic contract extension, so Jackson will need more weapons at his disposal.
Especially since he’s also embarking on learning a new system after Declan Doyle replaced Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. Doyle needs a more consistent vertical threat to help Jackson hit new heights as a passer and embrace the playbook.
Boston fits the blueprint as a potential steal.
Denzel Boston a Good Fit for Ravens
This isn’t the first time the Ravens have been linked to a draft receiver who could help Jackson. Selecting a pass-catcher makes sense when Zay Flowers remains the go-to option on the depth chart, but there is little credible support.
Boston and the Ravens are a good match because, as Todd McShay of The Ringer put it, the former Huskies star “is top-five at the position and he will likely be underdrafted due to his lack of ideal speed. He’ll be a treasure of a mid-to-late-first-round pick for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.”
What should appeal to Jackson most about Boston is how a lot of the pre-draft assessments applaud the quarterback-friendly nature of his game. McShay explained “Boston does the little things really well. He works back to the QB on scramble drills effectively and understands how to identify coverages and choice routes.”
Meanwhile, Dane Brugler of The Athletic believes “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.”
These traits make sense of why the Ravens wanted to get a closer look at Boston. He’s a potential contested-catch machine outside the numbers who would help Jackson attack the deep areas of the field more often.
That’s going to be a feature of Doyle’s passing game.
Lamar Jackson Ready to Embrace Necessary Change
Doyle spent last season calling the offense for the Chicago Bears, who had QB1 Caleb Williams chance his arm on vertical strikes to wide receivers Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. The latter threw 82 deep balls, averaging 4.8 per game in Doyle’s big-play offense, per Player Profiler.
Jackson, by contrast, threw deep just 41 times during a campaign truncated by injuries. He did at least average 8.8 air yards per pass attempt, so there is potential for Jackson to thrive in Doyle’s offense, provided he has enough of the right targets.
Perhaps former first-round pick Rashod Bateman can finally reach his potential. Or maybe Devontez Walker will justify breakout predictions, but drafting a starter-ready receiver would help Jackson adapt to Doyle’s schemes sooner.
Jackson’s already shown a surprising, but welcome willingness to start the process early. He would only be further motivated by seeing the Ravens get him another playmaker at the top of this draft.