DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk NFL Draft 2026 Pick #24 Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion

Would rather have taken Cooper from Indiana. The drops worry me.

Of course. All the players I don't want they draft. WRs who drop the ball are not first round talent. SIGH ....

We Got Our LT And WR Good Night Berry

It would not be a Cleveland Browns WR draft selection if the player didn't have drop issues!

Dane Bugler's write-up....

BACKGROUND
Kevin “KC” Concepcion Jr. (con-sepp-see-OWN), who has four younger brothers, was born in Rochester, N.Y., before his family
relocated to Charlotte, N.C., when he was 6. He was raised by his mother (Arriel), who works in healthcare, and father (Kevin Sr.), who
now works in the NIL/marketing space. KC’s great-grandmother (Loyda Gonzalez), who raised Kevin Sr., is a native of Barcelonita,
Puerto Rico, and later moved to New York.

His father is a former athlete who was recruited for baseball, basketball and football out of high school and had a standout redshirt
freshman season as a defensive back and return man at Buffalo in 2002. However, he had several run-ins with the law, which disrupted
his playing career. He later played semipro indoor football for the Rochester Raiders in 2010 (65 catches for 921 yards and 30
touchdowns) and the Erie Explosion in 2011 (1,502 receiving yards, 46 touchdowns).

KC Concepcion started playing flag football at age 4 and tackle football at age 5. He played numerous positions in youth football,
including quarterback through middle school. He also started playing basketball in seventh grade and was a standout point guard. One
of his younger brothers (Arrion) played his freshman season as a wide receiver at James Madison in 2025. Another of his brothers
(Lloyd) is a standout middle school athlete. He also has a half-brother (Keyon), who played his redshirt freshman season as a wide
receiver at Division II Concord (W.Va.) in 2025.

Concepcion grew up with a stutter. He has been open about his experience, including being the target of bullying, and spoke about it at
the NFL combine.

He attended Zebulon B. Vance High School in Charlotte, which was later renamed Julius L. Chambers High School in 2021. He was a
four-year letterman on varsity and teammates with James Pearce Jr. (2025 first-rounder of the Atlanta Falcons) and Hollywood
Smothers (NC State 2026 NFL prospect). Concepcion made an immediate impact as a freshman wide receiver for a team that finished
13-2 and won the 2019 Class 4AA state championship (first state title in school history). Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his
sophomore season was moved to the spring of 2021 — he helped lead the team to a 10-1 finish and another state championship (had a
14-yard touchdown catch in the title game). As a junior in the fall of 2021, Concepcion caught 36 passes for 458 yards and eight
touchdowns, while adding three punt return touchdowns, as Chambers won 11 games. As a senior, he led Chambers to its fourth straight
regional title and earned honorable mention all-state honors. He finished his final season with 32 catches for 527 yards and five
touchdowns, along with one rushing touchdown and one kick return touchdown. He also played basketball at Chambers before deciding
to focus on football.

A three-star recruit, Concepcion was the 82nd-ranked wide receiver in the 2023 class and the No. 21 recruit in North Carolina. He
started to move up the recruiting rankings after his sophomore season and picked up offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Marshall,
Maryland and NC State. As a junior, Concepcion received his first SEC offer (Vanderbilt), along with offers from Florida State, Duke,
Michigan State, North Carolina, Penn State and West Virginia. Ultimately, his decision came down to NC State and North Carolina. He
committed to the Wolfpack in August 2022, because they “showed the most love” and gave him a chance to see early playing time. After
two standout seasons, Concepcion entered the transfer portal in December 2024 and took visits to Alabama, Colorado, Miami and Texas
A&M. His connection with head coach Mike Elko and quarterback Marcel Reed led him to the Aggies.

While at NC State, Concepcion established the KC Concepcion Foundation and is involved in the community, including back-to-school
drives. He elected to skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

STRENGTHS
● Fluid, gliding athlete with adequate size
● Sudden in his releases to swipe away jams and quickly stack corners
● Efficient speed cuts to build/maintain momentum through route breaks (heavy dose of in/out routes on his tape)
● Uses crafty body lean in route construction to force defenders off-balance
● Bends back to the football and has a feel for exposing space (78.7 percent of his 2025 catches went for a first down or touchdown,
third-best rate in FBS)
● Used on screens and gadgets to weaponize his catch-and-run acceleration (7.2 YAC per reception in 2025)
● Able to make impressive adjustments on the ball mid-air and in traffic
● Really like his compete skills (at the catch, after the catch and as a blocker)
● Averaged 16.2 yards per punt return in college, with two return touchdowns in 2025 (79 and 80 yards)
● Head coach Mike Elko says he has “tremendous” work ethic — he quickly ingrained himself in the A&M culture
● Recorded at least three catches in all 13 games in 2025; tied for the SEC lead with nine touchdown grabs

WEAKNESSES
● Too many drops and double catches on his tape (both at NC State and Texas A&M)
● Late to frame the football, leading to claps and body traps
● Unnecessarily jumps at catch point, disrupting his focus
● Will freelance his routes at times, upsetting timing with his quarterback
● Falls below size requirements at outside receiver for several NFL teams
● Muffed punt on 2025 Miami tape
● Right knee scope (March 2026), performed by Cowboys team physician, Dr. Daniel Cooper

SUMMARY
A one-year starter at Texas A&M (and three-year starter overall), Concepcion lined up both outside (65.5 percent of snaps) and inside
(34.3 percent) in former offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s RPO-based scheme. A prized target in the transfer portal after two seasons
at NC State, he was the Aggies’ leading receiver in 2025 and led the SEC in receiving touchdowns (nine) and punt return yards (456). He
won the 2025 Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football, and he became the first player in school history to
record a receiving touchdown, rushing touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same season

I am not a fan of the Fano pick. For Conception I am torn.
He gets great separation and is dynamic with the ball in his hands
But that's the key, ball in his hands
If he can fix the drops...if

Great kick returner from what i hear

I don’t know him well but dropsy reputation is scary. Of course Berry wasn’t here to remember our history of droppers. Doesn’t matter if you run good routes or get separation if you then drop the ball. Is that Improvable? He also looks slight to my eye. Welp, good luck kid. I’m pulling for ya.

And that was after the Fano pick.

Corey Coleman vibes. Should be fun to watch this play out.

I would have gone Cooper. Give me the receiver that catches the ball.

I have no clue what these graphs/charts mean

He'll be fine.

Some "experts" were debating that he is the best WR in the draft, or at worse top 3.

I wanted Tate or Cooper, receivers who hold onto the football. Tate was gone before the Browns could draft; Cooper has sure hands and great concentration. I am tired of receivers who drop the ball.

Both picks come with some concern - both come with huge upsides if those concerns end up being overblown. Concepcion might carry the slightly bigger risk if he can't play outside and the Browns try to keep him there. His trajectory in the NFL will forever be measured against Omar Cooper.

I actually like the idea of swinging for the fences with this pick.

Catching the ball is a fundamental you learn when you are 10 years old out in the backyard. It's as basic as it gets. I am sure that between HS coaching, college coaching, and any receiver camps the guy has attended those coaches have tried to work with him. At this point in life you don't teach a guy to catch. There is no magic pill at this point. It is what it is.

He does bring some juice to the slot position so he should be exciting to watch even with the frustrations.

Most wide receivers that have higher drop rates have them due to problems with staying focused. Perhaps adhd. I don't know but no one comes to the Browns and gets better with drops.

This is it for me. Hence the 'swing for the fences' comment.

Your comment about Zay Flowers made me wonder if this pick was influenced by Monken?