The Kansas City Chiefs’ front office has been doing its homework on wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft. The team has hosted some of this class’s top pass catchers, like Carnell Tate from Ohio State and Makai Lemon from USC.
One top receiver that has not been reported to have met with Kansas City is Denzel Boston from Washington.
On paper, at 6 feet 4 inches tall and 212 pounds, Boston meets the criteria for what the Chiefs are theoretically looking for to add to the pass-catching corps. Now, just because we don’t know about a meeting, it doesn’t mean it didn’t take place. As a matter of fact, one could speculate that if the Chiefs did meet with Boston and it wasn’t reported, it’s because the Chiefs didn’t want that information made public.
Boston was a three-star recruit coming out of Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, WA, and the 146th-ranked wide receiver in a recruiting class that was headlined by guys like Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III and Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan. While Boston wasn’t heavily recruited, he did receive offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, and Nevada.
With players like current Bears receiver Rome Odunze ahead of him on the roster, Boston had to bide his time and wait for his turn to get on the field. Through his first two seasons at Washington, Boston had 7 receptions for 66 yards. But coming into 2024, Odunze was out of the way, and it was his turn to be the guy. He made the most of his opportunity, hauling in 125 receptions for 1715 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Denzel Boston is a WR prospect in the 2026 draft class. He does not qualify for a #RAS due to a lack of measurements.https://t.co/qQIf1GK3n1 pic.twitter.com/4TVZ7CVRbj
Boston didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, but posted a 35-inch vertical leap, an unimpressive mark. However, his short-area agility testing came out well. He registered a 6.8-second result in the three-cone drill, which, for receivers, is more functionally relevant to the position than running fast in a straight line.
The first thing I’ll say about Boston is that, despite returning punts for the Huskies last season, he’s not winning any track meets any time soon, and the lack of vertical explosion shows up on tape.
Washington’s quarterback play in 2025 was uninspiring, so he gets a pass on some reps where the quarterback sailed the ball or simply overthrew him. But, that also being said, it’s hard to overthrow any human being that tall with even average leaping skills, and there were multiple reps on tape, where, although the ball was high, Boston couldn’t go up and get it.
The other knock in Boston’s game is that he struggled to get separation against both Ohio State and Oregon when Washington played them earlier this season. So there is a question as to whether he has the athleticism to produce consistently at the next level.
Denzel Boston has such quick feet off the line of scrimmage and this catch is… pic.twitter.com/Sa5RCzGNRN
On the positive side, he is a very precise and savvy route runner who understands body leverage, spacing, and positioning. He can line up at all three receiving positions (X, slot and Z).
He’s also really good at doing the primary thing he is supposed to do: catching the ball.
Boston might have some of the strongest hands in this class. He does a good job at catching balls away from his frame. He shows late, sudden hands, which prevent opposing defensive backs from timing their breakups. Not that it really matters, because he had a 75% contested catch rate in 2025.
This high contested catch rate is partially due to his excellent concentration at the catch point, but it’s also because he is an intense competitor. Nobody is ever going to accuse Boston of humility on the football field. He is not afraid to verbally spar with defenders he beats, and regularly lets them know it after an impressive catch. But he also keeps it within the boundary of fair play and does not lose control of himself or the situation. It’s all part of his game.
115 seconds of fun Denzel Boston catches pic.twitter.com/i2RPysW8Uu
Washington used Boston at all three levels of the field, including wide receiver screens, intermediate routes over the middle, and deep routes on the perimeter. On third down, Boston was his quarterback’s first read, and if he had man coverage, his quarterback was going his way, trusting that he would be able to find a way to come down with the ball.
Since 2019, the Chiefs have spent either a first or second-round pick on a wide receiver four times.
That said, the hope would be for a better return on investment. Still, it proves that general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid believe in continuing to take swings to provide quarterback Patrick Mahomes with difference-making pass catchers.
Boston, however, would be a bit of a departure from the style of player drafted in the past. He is what the team hoped wide receiver Rashee Rice would turn into when the organization selected him in 2023. Boston can do everything Rice can, plus he can win on the outside, win contested catches, and has enough speed to stretch the field and use his body and hands to come down with the deep ball.