The 2025 college football season’s been over for less than a week, which means it’s high time to turn our attention towards the 2026 NFL Draft. This year’s event, which takes place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, promises to be an exciting one for Washington fans.
Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston is widely acknowledged as a first round prospect. He stands an imposing 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, but he complements that size with excellent ball skills and dangerous agility.
Boston projects as a traditional WR1, but which NFL team will select him, and when? Let’s take a look at the most recent projections from five major media outlets:
ESPN: No. 21, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mel Kiper Jr., who has been analyzing NFL drafts with ESPN since 1984, made his first predictions of the year on Wednesday. Kiper Jr. projected Boston to be selected No. 21 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Boston runs strong routes and uses his physicality to box out defenders and make plays on the ball. He had 11 touchdowns this past season, including seven in the red zone,” Kiper Jr. wrote.
There’s no question that the Steelers need receiver help. Only DK Metcalf (59 catches, 850 yards, six touchdowns) reached 500 receiving yards or five receiving touchdowns in 2025. However, I’m not so sure landing with Pittsburgh would be the ideal scenario for Boston.
In this scenario, Kiper Jr. intends Boston to function as a WR2 under Metcalf, allowing each to take the weight off one another. That’s possible in theory, but it can be difficult to run a balanced offense with two X-type receivers.
Running that type of offense would also make it difficult for both Metcalf or Boston to reach their true potential. Doing so could also delay a potential breakout from Boston.
Metcalf is under contract through 2029, which is also when Boston’s four-year rookie deal would expire. Switching Metcalf for Boston at that time would save Pittsburgh some money, but things could be awkward until then.
Sports Illustrated & Pro Football Focus: No. 23, Buffalo Bills
Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick released his mock draft on Thursday, while PFF’s Max Chadwick posted his predictions on Jan. 12. Both analysts project Boston to land with the Buffalo Bills, who are reloading following the controversial firing of head coach Sean McDermott.
“While Boston doesn’t win with quickness or speed as a route runner, he’s savvy and nuanced enough to create space, and he flashed as a punt returner for the Huskies,” Flick wrote. “He has the size, production and playmaking skills to be Buffalo’s answer on the perimeter.”
The Bills would be wise to nab a receiver with Pick No. 23. Khalil Shakir (72 catches, 719 yards, four touchdowns) was their only receiver to surpass 500 yards. Shakir is talented, but he’s a slot receiver, and he’s yet to produce at a WR1 level.
“The Bills desperately need to upgrade their receiving corps, as they didn’t have a single wideout who placed inside the top-35 of PFF grade. Boston, meanwhile, is sixth among all college wide receivers with an 87.6 PFF grade,” Chadwick wrote. Chadwick also named Boston as the perfect first-round pick for Buffalo on Jan. 14.
Pairing up with Shakir would give Boston room to produce out wide, where the Bills are in need of the most help. Owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane, who are currently running Buffalo’s head coaching search, recently gave current X Keon Coleman a public vote of no-confidence:
Terry Pegula on Bills WR Keon Coleman: "The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. He’s…
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 21, 2026
If the Bills take Boston and move on from Coleman now, they can put superstar quarterback Josh Allen in a favorable spot for the next several years. Shakir’s contract won’t be up until 2029, when Boston’s rookie deal would also end. Drafting Boston on April 23 would give the Bills four years of offensive stability at a relatively inexpensive price.
Yahoo! Sports & CBS Sports: No. 14, Baltimore Ravens
Like the Bills, the Baltimore Ravens are seen as a team to watch for Boston. Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice linked the two on Jan. 6, while CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards projected the pairing on Monday.
“Denzel Boston is a big body with a skill set that complements Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman,” Edwards wrote.
Despite signing Bateman to a three-year extension in 2025, Baltimore’s passing offense was all Flowers this past season. Flowers–who stands just 5-foot-9–tallied 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns, but no other Raven had 50 receptions or 500 yards. Bateman tallied just 19 receptions across 13 games played.
The Ravens need somebody who can stretch the field vertically and open gaps for Flowers underneath. If Bateman continues to struggle, Boston would be an ideal replacement.
“I’m higher on Boston than most,” Tice wrote. “He has No. 1 receiver potential with juice to stretch the field (he was used as a punt returner at Washington at 6-foot-4) and the body control and route running to align anywhere. I can already picture Boston being [Lamar] Jackson’s best friend on extended plays.”
Boston and Jackson would indeed be a lethal pairing. Husky fans have seen Demond Williams Jr. use his legs to create plenty of plays for Boston. Jackson’s lightning-fast feet and rocket arm could make Boston one of the NFL’s most dangerous deep threats.