Denzel Boston — Washington Athletics
The Pittsburgh Steelers have some big decisions to make this offseason, with who their next starting quarterback will be arguably at the top. However, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN believes they will opt to address another position of need in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Kiper Jr. predicts the Steelers will select Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston with the No. 21 overall pick.
“I really wanted to get a quarterback to the Steelers in this spot. It’s possible Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss finds himself in the first-round conversation, obviously depending on what happens with his NCAA eligibility lawsuit. But the other QBs in this class would be big reaches. I don’t know what Pittsburgh will do under center or whether Aaron Rodgers will play another season, but there doesn’t appear to be an easy fix in Round 1 this year,” Kiper Jr. wrote.
“So, let’s pivot to the rest of the offense and land a WR2 alongside DK Metcalf. We saw what happens when this offense loses Metcalf, as the Steelers managed just one passing touchdown over Weeks 17 and 18 while Metcalf was suspended. But Boston runs strong routes and uses his physicality to box out defenders and make plays on the ball. He had 11 touchdowns this past season, including seven in the red zone. He’d elevate the unit right out of the gate and take some weight off Metcalf.”
Boston, 22, is certainly an intriguing player for Pittsburgh after reeling in 125 catches for 1,715 yards and 20 touchdowns over the past two years with the Huskies. He returned eight punts for 104 yards and a score, as well.
However, there’s no denying the Steelers obvious need at quarterback, especially after bringing in offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy to develop their next single caller.
In Kiper Jr.’s mock draft, two quarterbacks were taken before Pittsburgh’s pick — Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders and Alabama’s Ty Simpson 16th overall to the New York Jets.
So if that is how the board plays out come April, it would likely force the Steelers to address quarterback later on, but there is still plenty of time for things to change.
Mentioned In This Article: 2026 NFL Draft Denzel Boston Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Washington Huskies