2026 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns pick WR Denzel Boston at No. 39

A good-sized athlete, Boston plays big and balanced with vacuum hands (3.1 percent drop rate). He treats the catch point like he’s a power forward in the paint, boxing out and using his rangy frame and focus to secure the football. Ball placement wasn’t a strength of Washington quarterbacks, which created opportunities for Boston to show off his catch radius. He doesn’t have the juice to simply run by NFL man coverage, and he won’t be known for his after-the-catch skills, but he is a proven chain-mover (79 percent of his 2025 catches resulted in either a first down or touchdown).

Boston builds his speed with smooth, long strides and naturally adjusts with the hand strength of a ball winner, which should quickly earn him the trust of an NFL quarterback. With his ability to win inside or outside, his game has shades of 2025 Houston Texans draft pick Jayden Higgins.

DBN’s Matt Wilson had a solid draft profile on Boston, which you can read here.

How Boston fits the Cleveland Browns

In the span of a little less than 24 hours, the Browns went from having one of the weakest wide receiver groups in the NFL to one that has some promise.

Boston surpassed 60 receptions and 800 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons to go along with a total of 20 receiving touchdowns. He joins KC Concepcion, one of Cleveland’s first-round selections on Thursday night, to give the Browns a pair of players that can potentially join tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as one of the league’s best trio of young pass catchers.

Now if they only had a quarterback to throw them the ball …

React to the Boston pick

What do you think, Browns fans? Let us know in the comments sections below.