Skip to main content
Inside The Huskies

Boston's Pre-Draft Examination Is Both Positive, Tedious

The former Husky wide receiver hears all about his strengths and perceived weaknesses.
Dan Raley|
Denzel Boston remains a first-round pick in most pre-draft analysis.
Denzel Boston remains a first-round pick in most pre-draft analysis. | Dave Sizer photo

The NFL Draft is a month away and it can't come soon enough for Denzel Boston.

As a likely first-round draft pick from the University of Washington, with potentially so much money at stake involving him, the wide receiver is getting pulled in many different directions.

It's a game within a game, with people propping up the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Boston for his size and athleticism and others knocking him down for his supposed lack of speed.

Chris Simms, the former NFL quarterback, son of QB legend Phil Simms and now an NBCSports analyst, is among those sold on Boston, this week proclaiming him to be the best pass-catcher in the draft.

"Denzel Boston leads the class for me," Simms said on his podcast.

Denzel Boston gets a celebratory lift from tackle Drew Azzopardi after his 78-yard touchdown catch at the LA Bowl.
Denzel Boston gets a celebratory lift from tackle Drew Azzopardi after his 78-yard touchdown catch at the LA Bowl. | Dave Sizer phot

Boston, who reportedly will meet with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, even drew comparisons to another one-time Husky receiver, courtesy of Simms.

"He's physical, he bounces off tackles, he can break tackles," he said of the ex-Husky. "He can catch the ball and turn up field all in one swoop, like a Puca Nacua, which is special."

It's more than a little ironic that Boston and Nacua -- who missed each other by two seasons in Montlake -- would be lumped together in a draft analysis. One certainly has served to be an example for the other in pre-draft preparation.

In 2023 while coming out of BYU, his landing place following the UW, Nacua ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, which believe it or not was considered slow and supposedly was a factor in him dropping to the fifth round.

Of course, no one talks about Nacua's speed anymore as he's used his size, strength and surprising in-game speed to become one of the NFL's elite receivers.

Likely for that very reason, Boston was advised not to run the 40 at either the NFL Scouting Combine or the recent Husky Pro Day, so as not to give anyone an excuse not to draft him high enough or pay him an appropriate wage.

"A Puka Nacua comparison might feel strong, but, like Nacua, Boston enters the draft with speed/separation concerns and outstanding competitive toughness," NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlein wrote.

Last week in Dempsey Indoor, Boston posted a 37.5-inch vertical leap to demonstrate some of his high-end physical attributes.

So its 30 more days of nitpicking and praising the former Husky, who comes off a 2025 season in which he caught 62 passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He's not a burner, but he's got that size and smarts. And so it goes.

"He has a chance to be the first receiver off the board," Simms sadi. "He'll go in the top 20 for sure."

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Football