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Inside The Huskies

Most Analysts Are In Full Agreement On Boston's Draft Destination

The former UW wide receiver, according to the experts, is headed to a lakefront city.
Dan Raley|
Denzel Boston lets out a howl during his 2-TD effort against Rutgers.
Denzel Boston lets out a howl during his 2-TD effort against Rutgers. | Dave Sizer photo

If the majority of NFL Draft prognosticators are correct, Denzel Boston is headed from the Dawg Pack to the Dawg Pound.

From Lake Washington to Lake Erie.

From the Purple and Gold to those basic Browns.

It's Boston to Cleveland, which sounds like two cities getting together, not a sleek player and a gritty lakefront property.

With draft day upon us, no fewer than a half-dozen prognosticators -- among them Peter Shrager, Matt Miller, Field Yates, Dan Parrr, Ari Meirov and Joel Klatt -- have the 6-foot-4, 212-pound former University of Washington wide receiver ending up as the 24th pick overall and going to Ohio and one of the NFL's oldest franchises.

The pre-draft indicators include Boston already having visiting with the Browns in person and Cleveland often slyly tipping off others as to what it might do in restocking its roster, that and this team badly needs another receiver to go with veteran Jerry Jeudy.

With everything getting started at 5 p.m. PT, and each team allotted eight minutes to choose someone, down from 10 minutes previously, Boston likely will hear his name called out two and a half hours later while presumably with friends and family in the Puyallup area.

With the Huskies conducting spring practice, and their 11th of 15 workouts finishing around 6 p.m., Boston's old teammates should have plenty of time to plop down in front of a TV set somewhere, maybe in the locker room, and watch him be rewarded close to 7:30.

Again, the consensus is Boston is Cleveland bound with the 24th pick, with ESPN's Yates offering that assessment in one of the last mock drafts released. His take on the matter:

"Cleveland has a clear path to fill its two biggest needs in the draft, and taking Boston here helps solidify the wide receiver void. Boston broke out over the past two seasons, totaling 20 receiving touchdowns and only three drops on nearly 200 targets. He has size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) to go with fluidity, empowering him to operate both on the perimeter and as a big slot receiver."

Likewise, ESPN's Schrager has put Boston and the Browns together, especially noting how weak Cleveland's wideouts were in 2025.

"We've talked about the Browns addressing offensive line and wide receiver in Round 1. They got the tackle at No. 6. Now they would have the choice between Boston and Texas A&M's KC Concepcion. I think Cleveland would prefer the big-bodied frame of Boston; he can be a key red zone target for an offense that mustered just four TD catches from its receiver room last season."

However, Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network and NFL.com is an outlier on this whole Boston and Cleveland connection, deciding he will end up with San Francisco on the 27th pick.

"I could see the Niners looking for D-line help here, coming off a year when they were plagued by injuries on the defensive front. In this scenario, though, they add more firepower for Brock Purdy. Boston comes highly recommended out of Washington’s program."

Should Boston pack up his dog biscuits and head to the gritty city in the upper Midwest that is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he would become the fifth Husky football player ever to be drafted by Cleveland.

Others are place-kicker Jeff Jaeger, in the third round in 1987; linebacker Jeremiah Pharms, in the third round in 2001; defensive lineman Danny Shelton, in the first round with the 12th overall pick in 2015; and center Nick Harris, in the fifth round in 2020.

When it happens, Boston's NFL selection will be fully embraced across Montlake. A year ago, the Huskies had just one draftee following a notable downturn in talent, when linebacker Carson Bruener ending up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not until the seventh and final round.

In 2024, the UW provided 10 drafted players from its run to the CFP national championship game, which included quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receiver Rome Odunze and offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, all in the first round.

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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.

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