How Denzel Boston turned supreme preparation into a first round NFL Draft hype

Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze (1) catches a pass against Texas Longhorns defensive back Ryan Watts (6) during the fourth quarter in the 2024 Sugar Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

"[Washington] had a standard in the room and for me it was, I got to be that standard. Rome [Odunze] goes down, I'm the next guy up, so I need to be able to go run that.

"We had a saying, it's a 42.6 or something like that. It was a good [4 x 100m] relay time at the end the day... It was basically saying that no matter who's in the game, we still got to run that relay time. So for me, every day it was just being able to be around those guys, learn, soak up what I can and have an understanding that if one goes down I got to be ready to go run that good time.

"It comes down to the relationships that I built in that building and the community that I had around me being able to be a hometown dog, [which was] something very special to me. And not only that, the standard that they set in the room, once again, I didn't want that to die off because we had our whole room. We also had Germie Bernard, you had Giles Jackson and me under those three. So I wanted to stick it out, continue, continue that standard and continue to just try and produce good receivers coming out of Washington and start a new trend."

On maximizing the very Rome Odunze skill of turning 50/50 contested catches downfield into big plays

"That comes from the preparation and the training before the game. I feel you reap the benefits of the work that you put in before. So preparing yourself for those moments, making sure that you're getting all those reps in practice and getting every angle of catch just keeps you. And also keeping that hand eye coordination. For me it was tennis ball machines. I think that's what really benefited me to be able to make those plays.

"We would do [45-pound] plate holds with our fingertips. Also ,the rice bucket. Got to get in that rice bucket [to strengthen grip].

"[Between] practice, weight room, film study? We got to go at least close to 60 hours to put all that stuff together. I mean I remember this last year I was in the facility getting there at about 7:00 AM not leaving until about nine, 9:30 PM So that whole time it's taking care of my body. We have practice meetings and then also just extracurricular meetings, whether I'm bringing the receivers along to get some extra meetings or me and the quarterback and the other receivers and tight ends are meeting.

"So yeah, a lot of hours. I'll definitely put 60 on there for sure."

On the one route he runs better than anyone else in the 2026 NFL Draft class

Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) catches a touchdown pass against Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Devin Turner (8, left), defensive back Coco Azema (0) and defensive back Theran Johnson (10, right) during the second quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

"High long post. I'll stake money on that."

On building a rapport with his quarterback to create downfield leverage in scramble drills

"For me, well me and Demond, we used to always be in the film room together. We used to always be with each other. Even in game, we're sitting there on the iPad: 'Hey, this is what I see when I'm rolling out this way. I want you to go here' watching film.

"Seeing where defenses, where they're lacking, where they're slacking. When it comes to the scramble drill and understanding where the open pockets are going to be, that's what gets me prepared for those moments and be able to make those plays."

On his partnership with PayPal

"Once I got the opportunity to work with PayPal, [I was] super excited. I used PayPal. That's my way of sending money to my family, my friends, and even they got the pool feature on PayPal where say you got a tailgate or you got some type of party going on and you don't know people are going to send you money back.

"You just make a pool. Everyone pours into that pool and you guys pay with that pool of money. So all those different features that PayPal has to offer is just a great way to be able to utilize it and that's what makes me so excited to work with PayPal."

Denzel Boston's scouting reports for his draftable Washington teammates

CB Ephesians Prysock:

"Ephesians Prysock. One, he plays his size. He's a six-foot-four corner. Lengthy. He's got speed. He's very patient. He knows how to sit on routes and not only that, he can move.

"He has great recovery speed if he is beat, he's always around the ball and he's always around the ball. That's one thing about Effy as well. He's a ball magnet. That's why I think a team should bet on him."

CB Tacario Davis:

"Him and Effy are like twins, you know what I mean? So they're kind of like the same guy. But Bobo? Man, that off man [coverage] that he has, it is a good one. And the way he plays is very just methodical. He understands. He understands his body and he understands his presence.

"He has a good way of almost kind of trying to manipulate a receiver into making them do what he wants them to do. So that's what I would say about Bobo. He's very highly competitive guy, never running away to compete. He's always there for, hey, if you beat him, he's going to be right back there with you. The next play, ready to compete."

RB Jonah Coleman:

"Jonah Coleman: one, he's a great leader. He's a guy in the room who's going to always make sure everything's running right. He's always going to make sure that what's not done right is going to be addressed. And he's a guy who has high energy.

"He's always at practice running around, jumping around. You could tell he just loves to be around the game of football. He's a tough runner. We call him a bowling ball, at least I call him the bowling ball, always bouncing off and he always finishes his runs. He is always trying to finish with running through somebody. And then also his pass protection, he can pass, protect, and as a receiver, I appreciate that. That opens up big place for us on the back end."

This article originally appeared on For The Win: How Denzel Boston turned supreme preparation into a first round NFL Draft hype