FITTING THE NFL MOLD

   Boston is a huge receiver at 6’4” and 212 pounds which will have teams chomping at the bit to have a player like him on their perimeter. He had two highly productive seasons where he saw 25% or more of the team's target share. He isn’t the fastest guy and he will continue to have concerns about his speed due to him not running at the combine. He isn’t the most athletic guy but has the build to be productive at the next level regardless.

WATCHING THE TAPE

   Boston has great concentration and body control to make sure he brings in the ball. He uses his size well to box out defenders and get up to high point the ball. He runs the full route tree and can catch the ball from anywhere on the field. You can tell he isn’t the most athletically gifted receiver in the class, but he fights hard for the ball and runs the ball like a RB unafraid of contact. He has a knack for finding the soft spots when the field gets short making him extra dangerous in the red zone.

THE LANDING SPOT

   Denzel Boston lands in a spot that is both exciting and frustrating, which honestly makes him one of the tougher rookie receivers to value. The Browns badly needed more offensive playmakers, so the opportunity is real. Jerry Jeudy is still the veteran presence, but Cleveland clearly wanted to reshape this room after taking KC Concepcion in the first round and then coming right back for Boston at No. 39 overall. Boston’s path is not as clean as it would have been if he were the only rookie wideout added, but his role should still be easier to project than Concepcion’s in some ways. At 6’4”, around 209 pounds, Boston is built more like a true perimeter receiver, and that gives him a better chance to win snaps on the outside while Concepcion is moved around and used more creatively.

   The problem is that Cleveland’s offensive environment still comes with plenty of red flags. Boston is talented enough to be on the field in three-receiver sets early, and his size gives this offense something it desperately lacked, but the quarterback situation makes it hard to fully buy in right away. Whether it is Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, or a messy combination of both, there is still a lot of uncertainty attached to how consistent this passing game can be. Add in an aging offensive line, and Boston’s rookie-year ceiling gets a little harder to trust. The talent and opportunity are there, but this feels more like a long-term win than an immediate smash spot. Boston can absolutely carve out a role as Cleveland’s outside receiver of the future, but for redraft, the crowded rookie WR room and shaky offensive foundation keep him more in the upside stash conversation than someone you should be counting on every week right away.

WHERE TO DRAFT HIM

   While he has tons of questions surrounding him, I still believe that Boston is a late 1st round to early 2nd round pick in Dynasty leagues. In redraft leagues, he’s nothing more than a late round flyer.

Player Comp

Michael Thomas