The 2026 NFL Draft is just over a month away. When April 23 finally comes, Husky fans will be watching with anticipation to see where wide receiver Denzel Boston will begin his NFL career. Boston has been viewed as a late first-round prospect for most of this offseason, and six of seven mock drafts which I covered on March 4 had Boston going in the first 32 picks.
However, following the start of NFL free agency, Boston’s status as a future first-round pick may be in question. Here’s where 11 mock drafts from the nation’s top football experts are currently projecting the former Husky to land:
Nate Davis and Ayrton Ostly: No. 13, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams were a popular destination for Boston in early mock drafts, but that was before they included the 29th overall pick in a trade for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. USA TODAY’s Nate Davis and Ayrton Ostly’s collaborative March 16 mock has the Rams passing on highly-rated wideouts Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson to select Boston at No. 13 overall, and that would raise some eyebrows.
Lemon and Tyson are ranked 15th and 19th respectively on Pro Football Focus’ (PFF’s) big board, while Boston sits at No. 31. It would certainly be a surprise to see Boston go before those two, but there’s a reason the Rams might decide to.
Los Angeles’ offense is defined by the connection between MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and first-team All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua. That’s worked best on crossing routes over the middle, which is where Lemon thrives. The Rams need more options at receiver, but they would benefit more from a boundary threat like Tyson or Boston.
At that point, the Rams could potentially be put off by Tyson’s injury history, or they could simply prefer the taller option in Boston, who at 6-foot-4 stands two inches taller than Tyson. If Boston does end up on the Rams, watch out. Giving Stafford an outside option of Boston’s caliber could spell trouble for the rest of the league.
“Boston (6-4, 212) is the kind of supersized red-zone target (20 TD catches since 2024) and boundary receiver who could provide an easy transition from [Davante] Adams while perfectly complementing Nacua,” Davis and Ostly wrote.
Garrett Podell: No. 23, Philadelphia Eagles
Rumors recently swirled that the Eagles were looking to trade star wideout AJ Brown. If Brown does leave Philadelphia, which could either happen after June 1 this offseason or via a 2027 ‘out’ in his contract, the Eagles will need to find his replacement.
A March 13 mock draft from CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell has Boston slotting in as a WR3 to complement Brown and former Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, which could theoretically work given Smith took a majority of his snaps from the slot in 2026. It would also give the Eagles a serious host of receiving threats to complement their former Offensive Player of the Year, running back Saquon Barkley.
“The Eagles have been throwing darts at their WR3 spot next to A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith for years. Boston would be a worthy complement to both,” Podell wrote.
Even if Brown does move on, Boston and Smith could form a solid receiving duo for years to come. The Eagles would likely need to invest in a run-after-catch threat for their WR3 role, but two downfield threats are better than one.
Nate Tice: No. 24, Cleveland Browns
The Browns hold the sixth overall pick this year, which will give them a prime shot at consensus WR1 and former Ohio State Buckeye Carnell Tate. He’ll be difficult to pass up, but if the Browns do so, they’d have a tough time looking past Boston at No. 24.
Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice paired Boston with the Browns in a March 18 mock draft which saw him alternate picks with Charles McDonald. Tice has Cleveland taking Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling at No. 6 and Boston at No. 24, which would go a long way toward rebuilding the Browns’ offense.
Jerry Jeudy was Cleveland’s top wideout in 2025 despite tallying just 602 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. showed promise as a rookie, but adding Boston would give Shedeur Sanders (or Dillon Gabriel, or Deshaun Watson) a reliable WR1 for years to come.
“Boston would complement [Jeudy and Fannin] as an outside ball winner who can win with his catching skills and size,” Tice wrote.
Tom Fornelli: No. 26, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo took a step toward rebuilding their receiving corps by adding DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears two weeks ago, and while he could certainly take reps as the Bills’ X receiver, I think superstar quarterback Josh Allen would benefit from Buffalo adding a taller option to the mix. The Bills have been connected to Boston in mock drafts throughout the offseason for that very reason.
“Boston isn't flashy, but he's polished and gives Buffalo a lot of what its receiving corps is missing,” CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote on March 18.
Boston could immediately slide into an X receiver role in Buffalo if the Bills move on from 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman, who was denounced by owner Terry Pegula in a January press conference. Bills general manager Brandon Beane and new head coach Joe Brady both recently spoke out in support of Coleman, but mocks like Fornelli’s continue to project Buffalo to take a receiver.
Gordon McGuinness: No. 31, New England Patriots
You know who would sell a million jerseys? A New England Patriot named Boston. He’d also be a welcome addition to Drake Maye’s offense, which is set to lose three of its top four receivers (Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins) to free agency in 2027.
The Patriots have already found one wide receiver they can build around in Romeo Doubs, who they signed to a four-year, $68-million deal when free agency opened earlier this month. He’s replacing Stefon Diggs, who led the Pats in receptions and yards (85 for 1,013) in 2025 but was released on March 3 in a cap-saving effort.
Doubs is a quality signing who can play the X role, but his PFF hands grade of 66.1 ranked a middling 46th out 80 receivers who had 50+ targets in 2025. That might be why PFF’s Gordon McGuinness thinks the Patriots should double down at receiver and select Boston at No. 31.
“Boston dropped just 3.1% of his catchable targets and caught 76.9% of his contested targets in 2025,” McGuinness wrote on March 16.
Joel Klatt, Mike Renner, Mel Kiper Jr., Daniel Jeremiah, Josh Edwards, Eric Edholm: Outside top 32
Here’s where the projections get less fun for Husky fans. Six highly-qualified professional analysts have recently released first-round mock drafts which don’t include Boston.
And here’s the real kicker: Five of those six analysts’ most recent mock drafts had projected Boston to be selected within the first 26 picks. The only exception was CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards, who had Boston going to the Tennessee Titans at No. 35 in his three-round March 18 mock and didn’t list him in his one-round March 18 mock.
So why is the former Husky sliding on draft boards? Boston didn’t participate much in the combine and struggled with drops when he did, which could have lowered his stock for some teams. Although he tested better at his pro day on Monday, it may not have been enough to restore his status as a projected first-round pick.
Joel Klatt’s latest mock was released on Monday during Boston’s pro day, but every other analyst got a chance to see his numbers before publishing, and apparently none were won over.
It’s possible Boston is sliding because hype around him is fading, but I’m not sure enough has happened to warrant that. Instead, it’s worth considering that his draft stock may simply be holding steady in a growing talent market.
Boston’s impressive collegiate production and appealing pro day measurements may still be worthy of a first-round grade, but it’s possible that this year’s draft class–which is the fastest ever–has enough high-profile talents that some are pushed outside the first round. Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr., Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, and Missouri edge rusher Zion Young are all examples of former Day 2 prospects who are now firmly entrenched in first-round conversation.