Many of us hoped that ESPN’s broadcast mistakes would only be limited to lagging, but that has not been the case. On Friday, Denzel Boston became the first wide receiver taken in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. But during the live coverage of the moment, ESPN host Mike Greenberg made a mistake while describing the WR’s parentage, even as Boston’s parents were seated right beside him. Understandably, the slip immediately stood out.

NFL history has seen plenty of memorable father-son duos, and the legacy narrative around one often ends up shaping how the other is introduced. For instance, Howie Long saw both his sons, Chris and Kyle Long, build successful NFL careers of their own. Deion Sanders also now watches proudly as Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders lines up on the field. But not every similar last name signals a family connection. Veteran broadcaster Mike Greenberg ended up linking two unrelated people during the 2026 draft broadcast, just on the basis of their last names. 

“That’s another player who you were waiting to hear his name called,” Greenberg said about former Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston, who was drafted by the Browns at No. 39. “You remember his dad, David Boston, first-round pick out of Ohio State in 1999.”
Little did he know that David Boston was a different person entirely, although related to NFL as well.

Texas native David Boston was also a wide receiver who played college football at Ohio State University before being drafted into the NFL in 1999. He had a six-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals (1999–2002), San Diego Chargers (2003), and Miami Dolphins (2005). He was selected eighth overall by Arizona and later produced a 1,000-yard season in 2001 before injuries shortened his career. He has three children: a daughter, Alaia, and sons Jaylen and Brayden. His son Brayden is already emerging as a highly regarded Class of 2033 basketball prospect.

The younger Boston, who is native to Idaho and grew up in Washington, was born to Chris and Rochelle Boston. Chris Boston is a football coach. Both parents were seated beside Denzel when he was picked, which makes this more embarrassing for ESPN. The man hugging Denzel was very much not David Boston. Denzel and his three older brothers were raised in Boise before he later moved to South Hill, Washington, where he attended Emerald Ridge High School.

Denzel has no connection to Ohio State, except that he faced them as an opponent in the 2025 season. But after getting drafted by the Browns, Ohio will ironically become his base. He comes to the team as a great fit at wide receiver, joining KC Concepcion, who was drafted earlier. Boston is the tallest wide receiver in the room. The 6-foot-4 wideout had even been viewed by several teams as a possible late first-round talent before sliding into the second round.

The ESPN crew caught on to Mike Greenberg’s mistake. The broadcaster issued an apology in the third round for the goof-up, nearly an hour and a half after he mixed up the two Bostons. He said that he was waiting for the Browns to pick again to address the mistake, and admitted that it was a “terrible” one. “It was a mistake in my research,” Greenberg later said on air. “It was a terrible one, and I apologize to them both. They are not related to each other.” However, this was not the first time Greenberg slipped during the 2026 draft coverage.

Mike Greenberg makes another massive draft pick blunder on Day 1 of the NFL draft

On the first day of the 2026 NFL draft, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg made a major blunder towards the end of the event. Greenberg was leading the coverage and made a mistake regarding the 27th overall pick between the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers as both teams were involved in a big-ticket trade.

At first, the 49ers had the pick, but the Dolphins traded up from the 30th spot to select San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. However, the veteran broadcaster was unaware of this trade, leading to a significant mistake.

“And the commissioner making his way to the podium here for the 49ers’ selection at 27,” Greenberg said on ESPN. “Alright, so the California kid stays in California.”

In reality, the Dolphins had already traded up to make the selection, meaning Johnson was headed to Miami instead.

ESPN’s coverage drew a lot of flak this year. People are still tipping picks on social media, while the broadcast is catching on later. The gap between the Dolphins’ trading and selecting Johnson is one example of this. The California kid now has to travel to the other side of the country to suit up for Miami. It sure is a big blunder. Mike Greenberg may secretly be wishing for a do-over on these gaffes.