Every year, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler publishes his “The Beast” draft guide.
It would have taken longtime ESPN host Mike Greenberg two minutes to find Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston in “The Beast” and read that his parents’ names are Chris and Rechelle.
Instead, the following happened during ESPN’s broadcast of the second and third rounds in the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night.
The Cleveland Browns selected Boston with the 39th overall pick, and Greenberg said, “You remember his dad, David Boston, first round pick out of Ohio State in 1999.”
Later, during the third round, Greenberg apologized for his egregious error.
“The Cleveland Browns traded out of this spot just a moment ago,” he said. “I was waiting for them to come around again so that I could make an apology to Denzel Boston, who, earlier tonight, I misidentified as being the son of former NFL receiver David Boston. It was a mistake in my research.”
“It’s a terrible one, and I apologize to them both,” Greenberg continued. “They are not related to each other, and so I apologize to both David and Denzel Boston, and congratulations to Denzel on being drafted in the second round tonight by the Cleveland Browns. That’s my mistake, and I apologize for it.”
People make mistakes, even seasoned broadcasters, but what an unfortunate one to make — and what an unfortunate time to make it.
David Boston was the Arizona Cardinals’ eighth overall pick in 1999. His best year was 2001, when he led the NFL with 1,598 receiving yards and earned All-Pro honors. He departed Arizona after four seasons to play for the then-San Diego Chargers in 2003, then missed the entire 2004 season with a knee injury. He finished his career with five games played for the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
Denzel Boston played all four of his collegiate seasons at the University of Washington. He led the Huskies with 881 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein compared Boston to Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, which would be beyond the Browns’ wildest dreams.
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