BEREA, Ohio -- It didn't take long for Denzel Boston to deliver a highlight play that exemplified why the Cleveland Browns coveted him with a high pick in the 2026 NFL draft -- even after using a first-round pick on fellow wide receiver KC Concepcion.
Cleveland was in the middle of 7-on-7 drills during its second OTA practice last Wednesday, and Boston was aligned as an outside receiver with cornerback Tyson Campbell in press technique. As quarterback Deshaun Watson took a shotgun snap and dropped back, Boston took an outside release before smoothly dropping his hips to decelerate and then reaccelerating to separate from Campbell, who bit on the double move.
Watson dropped a pinpoint pass about 30 yards downfield to Boston, who made the catch in the end zone even after being tripped up by Campbell and safety Ronnie Hickman.
7-on-7s. Watson to Boston TD on a stutter go pic.twitter.com/japAXCa5vj
"That was awesome, wasn't it? Wasn't that cool?" Browns coach Todd Monken said after practice. "I mean, I know I'm an offensive head coach, but hell, you know, you get a draft pick and it's on one of the most talented guys in the league. So, it's encouraging, right? That's what you want to see. You want to see your guys, especially some of your younger draft picks, make some of those plays."
The Browns selected Boston at No. 39 overall last month, and though Cleveland used the 24th overall pick on Concepcion, the team was more than happy to use another top-50 pick on a wide receiver who was projected to go in the first round -- and one it believes brings a new dimension with his size.
While Concepcion is 5-foot-11, Boston is listed as 6-4 and 215 pounds, making him an ideal "X" receiver on the boundary in a receivers room that only has one other wideout who is taller than 6-1: fourth-year player Cedric Tillman.
During the past two seasons at the University of Washington, 16 of Boston's 20 receiving touchdowns came from a wide alignment, which ranked as the third most in FBS. Boston also excelled in contested-catch situations; he has 26 such catches since 2024, tied for the 10th most in FBS. And he was a sought-after option in the red zone, where he had 20 end zone targets last season, the second most in FBS.
"He's a different body type than what we have," Monken said. "We were looking at someone we thought could be a size matchup and especially in the red zone, which we did not have. So loved his competitive spirit. Just talking about Denzel now. Spoke with Jedd Fisch, his head coach at Washington, who I've got a ton of respect for, been in the NFL and raved about Denzel, loves to practice, competitive, a lot of fight in him.