PITTSBURGH — The Cleveland Browns heavily addressed the offense to open the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, taking an offensive lineman and a wide receiver with their two first-round picks. Back on the clock Friday with a second-round selection, the Browns went offense again, selecting wide receiver Denzel Boston.
The Browns selected the wide receiver out of the University of Washington with the No. 39 overall pick.
At 6'4", 212 pounds, the Washington native spent four seasons with the Huskies, recording 20 touchdowns with 1,781 receiving yards, averaging 13.5 yards per reception.
Last season, Boston led his team with 62 receptions and 881 receiving yards.
Entering the draft, Boston was praised for his elite ball skills and his ability to make contested catches and win jump balls.
The Browns were in need of a bigger-bodied receiver and Boston fits the mold. He'll join Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley, Jamari Thrash, Gage Larvadain, Luke Floriea, Tylan Wallace and Isaiah Wooden and the No. 24 overall pick in this year's draft, wide receiver KC Concepcion in the Browns' corps.
General manager Andrew Berry spoke to the state of the room and if the addition of two receivers in the first two rounds of the draft had any bearing on the status of Jeudy's role.
“Zero impact on Jerry, he’s our bell cow. We feel like we have a nice – I think with receiver rooms you can have, maybe a ball-dominant player or you can essentially build a basketball team, you know, with different skill sets. You know, we prefer the second approach. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take Calvin Johnson if he’s out there. But we feel like we have a nice, you know, well-rounded room with speed, RAC, contested catch ability, separation. So, we’re really pleased with the youth and talent in that group," Berry said.
Boston is the third new addition to the Browns' roster after the team selected Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano with pick No. 9 and Concepcion with pick No. 24 in the first round on Thursday.
With the first three picks being offense, the focus on growth this season is clear.
"I think we said we would pretty heavily invest in this side of the football," said assistant general manager Glenn Cook. "He's big, he has great hands, very subtle, sneaky speed, and just really, really complements things that we have in that room right now."
The Browns are slated to pick two more times Friday evening, back on the clock with pick No. 70 in the third round and then again with pick No. 74.
Here are the Browns' 2026 Draft Picks:
- Round 1: No. 9 overall: OT Spencer Fano
- Round 1: No. 24 overall: KC Concepcion
- Round 2: No. 39 overall: WR Denzel Boston
- Round 2: No. 58 overall: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
- Round 3: No. 86 overall: OT Austin Barber
- Round 5: No. 146 overall: OL Parker Brailsford
- Round 5: No. 149 overall: LB Justin Jefferson
- Round 5: No. 170 overall: TE Joe Royer
- Round 6: No. 182 overall: QB Taylen Green
Round 7: No. 248 overall: TE Carsen Ryan
RELATED: Browns select WR KC Concepcion with No. 24 pick in 2026 NFL Draft
