Nothing makes longtime fans of the New England Patriots cringe quite like this wide receiver draft profile from Dane Brugler of The Athletic:
“He treats the catch point like he’s a power forward in the paint, boxing out and using his rangy frame and focus to secure the football. … He doesn’t have the juice to simply run by NFL man coverage, and he won’t be known for his after-the-catch skills, but he’s a proven chain-mover.”
That prospect is Washington’s Denzel Boston, a fringe Day 1 prospect this year who profiles as an “X” receiver at the NFL level. The Patriots have been searching for that go-to pass catcher on the outside since the end of Bill Belichick’s tenure. They’ve whiffed enough times to leave fans cringing every time they see one of these "contested-catch artists" land on the team’s pre-draft radar.
Leave it to well-known NFL analyst Nick Wright to pour more salt in those wounds. His latest mock draft for FOX Sports had New England passing on this year’s deep edge rusher class in favor of Boston, whose profile feels painfully familiar to that of N’Keal Harry back in 2019.
Nick Wright's mock draft feels eerily similar to the Patriots’ biggest WR blunder
Wright’s thoughts on linking Boston to the Patriots at No. 31 were about as confusing as the selection itself. He essentially justified the pick because the Patriots “lost” Stefon Diggs, and haven’t yet traded for A.J. Brown.
The reality is that the Patriots chose to move on from Diggs, opting to release the 32-year-old rather than pay him over $20 million in cash for this season, and they haven’t yet traded for Brown because, due to Philadelphia’s salary cap situation, he’s likely not being made available until after June 1.
The Patriots could definitely use another wide receiver in this draft, but Boston would be an awkward fit. High-level route running is a prerequisite of Josh McDaniels' offense, which has never been big on chucking up 50/50 balls.
Drake Maye ranked among the NFL’s best deep-ball throwers during his breakout 2025 season, but he did so with pinpoint accuracy, often putting the ball where only his receiver could come down with it.
Bigger, slower, receivers who align predominantly on the outside have never had much success in Foxboro. The chance to acquire a unicorn like Brown would be one thing, but Boston sounds a lot like Brugler’s pre-draft profile for Harry entering the 2019 draft:
“While he is a clean route-runner with natural ball skills, he lacks the separation quickness to give his quarterback sizable passing windows. Overall, Harry doesn’t have the sudden athleticism to blow past corners, but he wins downfield with his tracking skills and physicality to win body position.”
Wright would have been better off mocking Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion to the Patriots at No. 31. Mike Vrabel loves versatile players, and Concepcion won the Paul Hornung Award last year as the most versatile player in college football.
He finished 2025 with nine receiving touchdowns, one rushing score, and also took a pair of punt returns to the house.
The best-case scenario for the Patriots right now is that they land their coveted “X” receiver via trade, and load up on the trenches early in the 2026 draft. Taking yet another stab on the big-bodied receiver who struggles to separate but catches a lot of 50/50 balls will only bring back nightmares fans have longed to forget.