To find value in the NFL draft, you need to identify players who can make a greater impact in your environment than they would for most other NFL teams.

That’s why scheme fit is a paramount factor in draft scouting.

Here is one first-round target at the wide receiver position who would make a perfect fit in the New York Jets’ offensive scheme.

What the Jets are looking for

Based on his past tendencies, Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich will be looking for wide receivers who can win in the short-to-intermediate game.

Here is a look at how often Reich’s teams targeted each level of the field across his six seasons as a head coach.

Compared to the average NFL team in 2025, Reich tends to lean more heavily on short (0-9 air yards) and intermediate (10-19 air yards) throws, while relying less on throws behind the line of scrimmage and deep throws (20+ air yards).

Reich’s offenses are predicated on targeting routes over the middle, primarily digs and drags, so he needs wideouts who can both separate over the middle and then secure difficult grabs in traffic.

So, which potential first-round wide receiver prospect is the best fit?

Who can win over the middle in Reich’s offense?

In a strong wide receiver class, there are many excellent candidates for this role, but the best fit (relative to their projected draft slot) might be Washington’s Denzel Boston.

Currently ranked as the consensus No. 27 overall prospect and WR5 at NFL Mock Draft Database, the Jets might be able to snag Boston with the 33rd overall pick, or by trading down (or up) into the late-first round.

But if they love his scheme fit as much as the upcoming numbers suggest they should, perhaps it would be wise to go ahead and grab him at No. 16.

Among the seven wide receivers ranked within the top 50 of the consensus big board, Boston was arguably the best performer on short-to-intermediate targets in 2025. Here is a look at those seven wideouts ranked by their Pro Football Focus grades on targets from 0 to 19 yards downfield:

  1. Denzel Boston, Washington (#27): 95.8
  2. Omar Cooper, Indiana (#24): 95.7
  3. Carnell Tate, Ohio State (#8): 94.5
  4. Makai Lemon, USC (#13): 94.0
  5. KC Concepcion, Texas A&M (#31): 93.1
  6. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (#14): 92.8
  7. Chris Brazzell, Tennessee (#50): 92.5

Boston’s superpower on these throws was his incredibly consistent pair of hands. Across 61 short-to-intermediate targets, Boston caught 44 passes with zero drops, while securing 6-of-7 contested targets.

That’s precisely the type of target that Reich will want running over the middle of the field in his offense.

The highlight reel below mostly consists of deep throws, but it emphasizes Boston’s strong hands.

Boston consistently attacks the ball away from his body, and he secures it with tremendous grip strength, while having the power to hang on through contact. These abilities look the prettiest on deep passes, but they are equally paramount on the bread-and-butter passes in the middle of the field, the ones that don’t make it onto the highlight reels. Those are the throws that allow an offense to sustain drives.

With hands like these, Boston can be relied upon to consistently convert those chain-moving catches to keep drives moving.

Any NFL team would covet a receiver with hands like that, but they will be especially valuable for a Jets team that projects to rely heavily on short-to-intermediate throws under Reich. Given Boston’s unbelievable track record of consistency on those throws (zero drops on 61 targets), he projects as a perfect Jets scheme fit.