Over the last few weeks, the idea of the Patriots taking a wide receiver in the early rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft has become a more common take. Other than an edge rusher and right tackle, it has almost become their next most important need, despite the ongoing connection to AJ Brown via post-June 1 trade.
It inevitably led ESPN's Field Yates to mock draft New England selecting University of Washington receiver Denzel Boston with pick No. 31, and all things considered, it would be a fantastic move for a very talented player for Drake Maye to work with.
He has all the intangibles that they need in their next wide receiver, and he would easily complement the receiving corps they've put together for the 2026 season. But there is also a risk involved that can't be overlooked.
While it might not directly impact his NFL performance, it's difficult to ignore the last time the Patriots took a chance on a receiver out of Washington and how poorly that worked out.
Drafting another receiver from the University of Washington could be a bad idea
During the 2024 draft, the Patriots selected Ja'Lynn Polk in Round 2, as he appeared to be an explosive prospect for their newly made-over offense. He excelled with Michael Penix Jr. in their last season together in Seattle, and the Jerod Mayo regime felt comfortable taking him with their second-round pick.
Unfortunately, we know how that went during the 2024 season, with Polk not performing as anyone had hoped, which led the new regime to trade him before the start of last season.
He is now with the Saints, but yet to make an impact, and that might be something worth considering if the Patriots have any interest in taking Boston in Round 1.
There might be a fair argument to make that Boston is a better receiver than Polk, and maybe worked with a better quarterback in college than Penix, who hasn't thrived yet in his NFL career. He logged 62 receptions for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025, which is impressive, but Polk had a more successful final year in 2023, and that success didn't translate to the NFL.
It's at least worth having a conversation about if Boston is up for consideration late in the first round, and it would certainly give some fans pause if he is drafted solely based on the Polk experiment.