Player Profile: Denard Bost (Browns)

by CaptainStriker0 | 5 years ago | 1 Comments

It all started off at Rutgers for Denard Bost. The 6’5 190 lb receiver only had two stars coming out of Ridge high school. The New Jersey native originally wanted to stay true to where he was from, and due to the low star rating, he pushed for one of the worst d-1 teams, Rutgers. Although when it came time to play for Rutgers, Bost got the nod but really struggled. Over the first three games, he totaled 2 catches for 13 yards. After realizing that he was not going to help the program get a chance to win games, head coach Greg Schiano stated, “Although it is hard for me to say, we are going to be benching Denard Bost next week. The kid is just not working hard enough, and that is showing on the field.”. After hearing of this benching, Bost was furious, but eventually came to terms with why it happened. Although, at some points throughout the year Bost thought, “Who are some of these receivers? Did they even have any stars?”. The end of the season eventually came, and as furious as Bost was, he knew what he had to do, he had to transfer. Although at first teams had little interest in him, Bost worked hard. He gained over 20 lbs in the offseason (not the Eddie Lacy way), and got one inch taller. After realizing that he did have his moments in high school, and also seeing the hard work he was now doing, Bost ended up going to UCLA. 

Bost’s first year at UCLA went ok. He was always their third option, as he tallied around 250 yards on 21 receptions. But this was enough to keep him as a starter for the next year. In this year, Bost got a promotion to the second option, and he produced more. This time around, he got 697 yards on 56 receptions and three touchdowns. Yet again, this improvement kept the staff happy, and for next season, Bost would be UCLA’s best receiver.  Bost exploded in what would be his last season in the NCAA. He tallied 1158 yards on 65 catches, 11 of them being touchdowns. Although, bad news would come in Bost’s bowl game. Bost was going up for a catch, took a hard hit, and landed hard on his shoulder which would end up needing surgery. This surgery made it so Bost could not participate in the NFL Combine. Originally expected to be taken late 2nd-early 3rd, there now was no range for Bost, some even saying there is a chance he may not go at all. 

Draft night came and Bost’s family had no clue what was to happen. On the first night, Bost was so nervous just with the hope that he would get drafted. He did not have high expectations though as he knew he wasn’t even projected to go in the first round at all. Then came the second night, Bost now knew that this was when he was supposed to be drafted. He thought, “If a team does see how much I have improved, they really should take a chance on me.”. This would not pan out though as Bost heard, “With the 96th pick in the draft, a bum team selects, A BUM”. This is when the emotions really kicked in for Bost, as he knew he had one more shot. The third day came, and Bost knew what was on the line. The fourth round started, and… nothing. Bost was so worked up now until he got a phone call. Oh no, it was a scammer. Then he received the actual phone call from John Dorsey. He then looked at the TV and heard, “with the 142nd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select, Denard Bost, wide receiver out of UCLA.”. Oh the joy that Bost had. But he knew that he was to recover from his injury, and get straight to work. The browns did state the they did not originally want to take Bost, but they had no other option, so they took a chance.

Bost was still hurting from his injury when training camp came, and he would end up not playing until week 2 of the regular season. It did not take long for him to catch his first touchdown as he ended up getting it in his first game, but that was his only catch. It ended up being a below average season for bost, only tallying 412 yards on 20 receptions, with 5 of them being touchdowns. The only good game Bost has was against Minnesota in week 5 where Bost had 3 catches for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did get some tips from Odell throughout the season who Bost views as a great mentor, “He really is a great guy, he is willing to help me so that the team can be better. What other guy would you want for a mentor than the best receiver in the league?” This was not enough for Bost though as he wanted to be a star in the league. He knew he needed a mentor for the offseason.

With how big Bost was, he knew he needed a receiver similar to his size for the best help. His mentor ended up being Calvin Johnson. Johnson taught Bost everything that he needed to know. Whether it’s how to get off the press better, or even how to correctly use his size, Bost learned so much from Calvin. Bost now felt so much more confident going into his second NFL season. 

Training camp came around yet again, and Bost was ready this time. Rumor had it that Bost actually kept a tally of every drop that he had, and for every drop he would have, he would have to do 20 pushups. Truth is though, Bost did not have a single drop the whole time. Bost has currently produced much more in his second season. He has now become the number two receiver over Jarvis Landry, and is a huge part of every Browns win. With the season not even being over yet, Bost has doubled production. He currently has 845 yards on 48 catches, and has caught 8 touchdowns. Will Denard “prime” Bost eventually become the number one in Cleveland over Odell?