Inside The Huskies

Unpaid Bills: Boston Keeps Hearing One NFL Destination

Entering and leaving the combine, the former Husky keeps hearing one franchise will get him.
Dan Raley|
UW wideout Denzel Boston show off his skills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
UW wideout Denzel Boston show off his skills at the NFL Scouting Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Denzel Boston left the NFL Scouting Combine the way he entered it -- firmly holding his ground as a mid to late first-round draft pick, maybe headed for the coldest pro football franchise in the country.

ESPN's Mel Kiper had the 6-foot-4, 210-pound University of Washington wide receiver going to the Buffalo Bills with the 26th overall pick before everything got started in Indianapolis.

Once the last 40 was run and the last cone was circled at Lucas Oil Stadium, Boston emerged in a Yahoo mock draft as ... the 26th pick to the Bills.

If he doesn't have Josh Allen's private cell phone number by now, it should be forthcoming shortly.

For the most part, Boston seemed to impress people with his size, speed and athleticism.

Much was made of his lone drop in the gauntlet drill, but, hey, this was a combine exercise, not an AFC playoff game in the snow with temperatures dropping near zero.

For that matter, get this man a heavy parka with a muffler and some gloves.

Buffalo isn't for pampered souls.

The Bills don't have a long history of drafting UW players.

In fact, it's been just seven Huskies overall and only one over the past 18 years -- linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio in the 2024 draft.

Others from Montlake who have been selected by the Bills are center Bruce Jarvis, third round in 1971; running back Jacque Robinson, eighth round in 1985; linebacker Tom Erlandson, 12th round in 1988; offensive guard Dean Kirkland, 11th round in 1991; running back Leon Neal, sixth round in 1996, and wide receiver Fred Coleman, sixth round in 1998.

Denzel Boston speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine.
Denzel Boston speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Of that group, only Jarvis and Ulofoshio ever played for the Bills in regular-season games. Jarvis appeared in 24 games and started all but one over four seasons before injuries did him in, and Ulofoshio drew just one outing in 2024 and is now with the Cleveland Browns.

The Bills currently have three former UW players on the active roster or injured reserve, none coming to Buffalo in the draft.

Linebacker Shaq Thompson, who arrived in a trade from Carolina, has played 11 NFL seasons, but just last year in Buffalo.

Tight end Keleki Latu signed as an undrafted free agent last year and made the team, appearing in five games for the Bills.

Safety Taylor Rapp, traded by the Rams to Buffalo, has played three of his seven NFL seasons with the Bills and is in recovery from a knee injury.

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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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