The wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft were going to be a group to watch. It was a deep class, and there were going to be questions of who would be drafted when and where. The order of receivers could have been just about anything, and in the end, Carnell Tate was the first of five off the draft board on night one. Denzel Boston was a potential first-round pick, but slid out of the first round. Take a look at his slide in the draft.
Denzel Boston’s Surprising Draft Slide
Boston is going to have to wait just a little longer for the phone call that will change his life forever. He won’t have to wait very long into the second round before a team looking to bolster its receiving corps will pick up the phone and give Boston a call.
Boston wasn’t projected to be one of the top receivers off the board like Tate, Jordyn Tyson, or even Makai Lemon.
After that, Boston was in a tier with KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr., who both went in the later part of the first round. This points to Boston being off the board soon and finally realizing his dream of being an NFL receiver.
The 49ers have the first selection in the second round at No. 33 after trading with the Jets. San Francisco could use a receiver to add to a room with Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall. It might feel like an eternity after his slide, but Boston is the top receiver in the draft and could be the first player off the board on night two.
Boston entered his junior season at Washington poised to headline the Huskies’ receiving corps after waiting his turn behind NFL-bound stars like Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan. Standing at 6’4″ and 209 pounds, Boston broke out in 2024 with a 63-834-9 receiving line, thriving as a red-zone mismatch and showing off his expansive catch radius and reliable hands.
While not an especially twitchy athlete, Boston moves efficiently for his size, stacks cornerbacks on the outside with smooth explosion and long-strider speed, and competes well through contact.
He boasted a miniscule 1.2% drop rate in 2025 per TruMedia, while hauling in 881 yards and 11 TDs on 62 receptions. According to PFSN’s CFB WR Impact Metric, he had an impact score of 79.5, ranking 50th at his position in college football.
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Boston’s ability to high-point passes and make difficult grabs makes him a go-to weapon when space tightens, and he magnifies his vice-grip hand strength with intelligent timing control and catch-point positioning.
With more than enough fluidity, tempo management skills, and zone IQ to function as a route runner, Boston has an appealing X-receiver profile and has impact starter potential.
