Potential Rams draft target Denzel Boston is already a star for Browns

Are we really back at this again? 

Yes, the Los Angeles Rams are more than happy with their selection of quarterback Ty Simpson in the 2026 draft. As are fans after his electric preseason. 

But a popular Rams mock-draft prospect, former Washington Huskies receiver Denzel Boston, has wasted no time turning heads with the Browns. More than that, he's a star. 

Head coach Sean McVay wouldn't change the team's choice for a second. Especially with Matthew Stafford looking just a bit creaky in the knees, having Simpson on deck as his successor gives Rams fans peace of mind. 

Still, while LA navigates injuries, Boston is playing out of his mind catching passes from Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. After another standout showing from the rookie receiver on Thursday Night Football, it's enough to catch anyone's attention.

Denzel Boston looks like a draft-day steal for the Browns

Leading up to the draft, some NFL scouts believed the Rams were zeroed in on taking USC receiver Makai Lemon or trading back to select Boston. Instead, LA stunned most of the NFL world by selecting Simpson, while the Browns scooped up Boston with the 39th overall pick. 

Safe to say that both teams are happy with those selections. 

Through four games, Boston leads Cleveland with 13 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns. In Thursday's win over Pittsburgh, he hauled in a 60-yard bomb and led the team in receiving for the third time this season. It was also his third game of at least 50 receiving yards. The 60-yarder was his third catch of 45-plus this season. 

Boston's Puka-Nacua-like frame, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is a big part of what made him such an intriguing prospect. In Cleveland he has emerged as Watson's go-to target, combining explosiveness with his dependability as a contested-catch machine. The Browns found a gem.

Of course, Boston has more opportunity there than he would in Los Angeles, in a receiver room led by Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. But Nacua has been hurt and now tight ends Terrance Ferguson (ankle) and Colby Parkinson (shoulder) are as well. Nacua is expected to return in Week 4, but the Rams are running out of trustworthy targets.

In la-la land, without the need to plan for a post-Stafford future, Boston would be a perfect fit in Sean McVay's offense. Although Konata Mumpfield just had a career day against the Broncos, otherwise the Rams have gotten almost nothing from any receiver not named Davante Adams. 

McVay won't even use Tutu Atwell or rookie CJ Daniels. In two games, Jordan Whittington has one catch for eight yards.

And while Boston wouldn't be the No. 1 option in LA, the fact that he has been that in Cleveland, without an elite teammate to distract the coverage and divert the most difficult matchups, suggests he would instantly be WR3 for the Rams. Stafford loves a big-bodied target. 

With the team all-in on Simpson (and off the clock after that until pick No. 61), drafting a receiver of Boston's caliber was never on the table. The front office prioritized the future, prudently. 

The tradeoff is that Simpson won't help the Rams this year, whereas Boston looks like he could help any team in the league, especially one whose pass-catching corps is down key pieces. 

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