As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, mock draft season is also winding down. For a strong section of Minnesota Vikings' fans, mock draft season can't end soon enough. One name continues to be matched with the Purple at No. 18 overall to the point of exhaustion, oversaturation, etc.
It would be nice, just once, to see an analyst do something different for the Vikings' first-round pick in a mock draft. It might look foolish, such as mock drafts are an indicator of what will actually happen, but it'd be refreshing at the same time.
Draft expert Todd McShay took the lowest-hanging Vikings' draft fruit in his third 2026 mock, making Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman the pick at No. 18 overall. But in his fourth mock, during the last full week before the actual draft, McShay is here to save us.
"18. Minnesota Vikings: WR Denzel Boston, Washington
"The Vikings had real issues catching the football last season, and the situation hasn’t exactly improved. With Jalen Nailor now in Las Vegas, they’re currently planning to give Tai Felton and his three rookie receptions a starting role. That’s a problem.
This pick might feel a bit rich for Boston, but based on conversations I had with a couple of teams over the weekend, the gap between him, KC Concepcion, and Omar Cooper Jr. isn’t nearly as wide for some teams as the draft community may think. It really comes down to stylistic preference, and for Minnesota, the need is clear: a big, physical outside receiver to complement Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Boston fits that mold perfectly."
Minnesota Vikings pull no punches to fill WR3 void with Denzel Boston in Todd McShay's new mock draft Â
Boston's strengths and weaknesses are clear-cut. He's big (6-foot-4), with reliable hands, and he's got a nose for the end zone (20 touchdowns over his two seasons as a starter at Washington).
But he's also not very fast, which shows up on tape as well as in his decision not to run a 40-yard dash anywhere during the pre-draft process.
Mike Tanier of Too Deep Zone put it best.
"Like every receiver in the wake of the Carnell Tate Forty Fiasco, Boston would rather eat a box of thumbtacks than come within 500 feet of anyone holding a stopwatch."
That said, Boston has a skill set no other Vikings wide receiver has. Justin Jefferson is obviously among the best in the league at the position, and Jordan Addison is a good No. 2 who has shown a nose for the end zone himself.
But they are not contested catch guys in the same way Boston is, with a lofty comp to Puka Nacua from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
Boston is generally projected to be drafted in the late first round to early second round range, which is why McShay said No. 18 might feel "a bit rich" for him.
But if the Vikings want to go wide receiver in the first round, his skill differentiation seems to fit nicely as they try to maximize Kyler Murray next season.
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