Denzel Boston sent a message that he would be a force to be reckoned with as soon as he was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2027 NFL Draft. The wide receiver said that falling into the second round was going to motivate him to prove that he was better than that.
Now, just four games into his career, Boston may have already exceeded even his own expectations. Not only is he arguably the best rookie wide receiver in the league, but he is one of the best in the NFL overall.
Pro Football Focus has Boston ranked No. 20 among all NFL wide receivers, calling him a “revelation.”
“Boston has been a revelation for the Browns through the first four games of his career, ranking 11th at the position with 284 receiving yards in 2026. He also ranks among the top 20 at the position in both yards per route run and PFF receiving grade,” Gordon McGuinness wrote.
Entering Week 5, Boston leads rookie wide receivers in almost every major category. His receiving yards have come on 13 catches, which is an average of 21.8 that ranks second in the league overall. His latest big play was a 60-yard reception that set up a second-quarter touchdown in a 27-24 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
Boston was the seventh wide receiver off the board in the draft at No. 39 overall, including behind teammate KC Concepcion, who was a first-round pick at No. 24. But from the first minicamp workouts, Boston showed that he was one of the biggest bargains in the draft with his combination of his 6-foot-4, 215-pound size, excellent route running, and infallible hands.
He continued to stand out in training camp, but he looked to have fallen behind Concepcion in the preseason. That changed quickly in Week 1, when he had a 46-yard catch for Cleveland’s only touchdown in a 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He added a game-tying 55-yard touchdown in a 23-19 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
Boston has become a legitimate contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he was named to the First-Quarter All-Pro Team by PFF, so there may be even better days to come for him in the improving Browns offense.
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