Mike Vorel: Ex-Washington Huskies star Denzel Boston the talk of Browns camp

Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times on Aug 11, 2026

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — Denzel Boston slipped into the second round.

That’s a blessing for both Boston and the Cleveland Browns.

Because we know how Boston digests doubt. Before he became the talk of NFL training camps, Boston was a supposedly unremarkable three-star recruit. At Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Wash., Boston caught 36 passes for 548 yards and eight touchdowns in his senior season. According to 247Sports, he was ranked as the No. 17 recruit in Washington and the No. 146 wide receiver in the 2022 class.

Think about that. In his home state, Boston was ranked behind future UW tight end Ryan Otton (who medically retired without catching a pass), Boise State linebacker Dishawn Misa (who soon transferred to Eastern Washington), WSU linebacker Hudson Cedarland (who has since converted to tight end) and Boise State tight end Austin Terry (who has logged two catches in four seasons). He was not fluid enough, not natural enough.

So said recruiting analysts.

College coaches, too.

“The kid came in, and he didn’t have a great grasp of football in general, just to be honest about it,” then-UW wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard told The Seattle Times in 2023. “He didn’t understand any of the nuances of playing the position, let alone how to be a good receiver using the tools that he had.

“He was trying to do stuff that other guys were doing, instead of using the things he has available. He’s a tough, big, strong, physical kid. You can’t be J-Mac (Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Jalen McMillan), I’m sorry Denzel. You don’t have the ability to be J-Mac in every situation. But you can be Denzel, and Denzel can be a high-level player.”

We know that now.

After waiting behind future draft picks McMillan (No. 92 overall in 2024), Rome Odunze (No. 9 overall in 2024), Ja’Lynn Polk (No. 37 overall in 2024) and Germie Bernard (47th overall in 2026), Boston turned doubt and time into touchdowns. In his final two seasons at UW, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver totaled 125 catches, 1,715 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns (20 receiving, 1 passing, 1 return). He was named a third-team All-Big Ten performer in 2025.

Consider how far he came. After his first career touchdown in 2022, a 2-yard carry late in a 52-6 pummeling of Portland State, Boston was so overwhelmed with adrenaline that he vomited on the Husky Stadium home sideline.

From overlooked to overwhelmed, Boston overcame.

So this doubt he’s digesting is nothing new. Despite being projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Boston fell to the Browns at No. 39. He was also the seventh wide receiver selected — behind Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, USC’s Makai Lemon, Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. and Ole Miss’ De’Zhaun Stribling. Heck, he was also the second receiver Cleveland selected, after Concepcion.

When asked last week about that second-round slight, Boston matter-of-factly said: “That (chip) will forever be on my shoulder, the rest of my life. That will forever be a driving factor and a reason I do what I do. It’s just one of those things you don’t forget, and it’s always going to be there.”

Boston digests doubt and chisels diamonds. He’s been perhaps the NFL’s fastest-rising rookie across training camps, earning raves from coaches and reporters alike. When asked why he inserted Boston as a starter during Monday’s practice, Browns coach Todd Monken simply said: “I mean, I’ve seen it. You’ve seen it. He’s made a bunch of plays.”

Benjamin Solak’s certainly seen it. After attending Cleveland’s training camp last week, ESPN’s NFL analyst posted a list of impressions on social media.

All jokes aside, it’s safe to conclude that Solak liked what he saw.

“I feel like the No. 1 thing I look for when I go to training camp is, ‘Does (the) rookie look like (he) belongs?’ ” Solak added while appearing on “The Mina Kimes Show Ft. Lenny.” “Do you look big enough? Do you look fast enough? Do you look strong enough? Are you thinking on your feet? You just look like you’re playing at NFL speed and NFL size.

“Boston just looks like a dog. He’s explosive. He’s physical. He’s got size. He’s got smoothness. He just so clearly is an NFL-caliber X receiver, and I love the way he looks.”

While he’s emerging as a popular Rookie of the Year pick, there are variables that could threaten a Boston breakthrough. Like the ongoing quarterback competition between embattled veteran Deshaun Watson and high-profile wild card Shedeur Sanders. Or the Browns’ history of supreme ineptitude, with just two winning seasons since 2008. Or, perhaps, the superior quality of defensive backs not with the Cleveland Browns.

But doubt Denzel Boston at your own risk.

It might just make him better.

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