Rookie receivers rarely take over an offense right away. Most spend their first season learning the playbook, adjusting to NFL cornerbacks and waiting for their chances. Having one rookie produce at a high level is a bonus for any team. Having 2 of them lead the entire league’s rookie class is something the NFL has almost never seen.
Dan Murphy of the Browns’ public relations staff shared just how rare the Browns’ rookie duo has been this season.
“WRs Denzel Boston (507) and KC Concepcion (437) are currently first and second in receiving yards among all NFL rookies. The last NFL team to have the top two rookies in receiving yards in a season was the 1945 Packers with Clyde Goodnight (283) and Nolan Luhn (151),” Murphy said.
WRs Denzel Boston (507) and KC Concepcion (437) are currently first and second in receiving yards among all NFL rookies. The last NFL team to have the top two rookies in receiving yards in a season was the 1945 Packers with Clyde Goodnight (283) and Nolan Luhn (151).
— Dan Murphy (@DMurph_BrownsPR) November 12, 2026
It has been 81 years since a team last finished a season with the top 2 rookie receivers in the league, and the game looked very different back then. The 1945 Green Bay Packers’ leading rookie had just 283 yards, a total Boston passed in his first 5 games this year.
Boston has been the steadier of the 2. The 39th overall pick out of Washington has 32 catches for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 15.8 yards per catch. He has dropped just 1 of the 33 catchable passes thrown his way.
Concepcion has come on strong lately. He has 37 catches for 437 yards, and most of that production has come over the last month as his timing with the quarterback has improved. His 64-yard touchdown in New Orleans gave the Browns the lead late in the 4th quarter, and he later called Shedeur Sanders a game changer.
Their styles fit well together. Boston is the big target on the outside who wins contested balls, while Concepcion does his best work in space after the catch. In New Orleans, they became just the 3rd pair of rookie teammates since the 1970 merger to each record a catch of 60 or more yards in the same game.
There is one concern heading into Sunday. Boston was seen in a walking boot on Wednesday and did not practice because of a toe injury. If he is limited or unable to play against the Houston Texans, Concepcion, Harold Fannin Jr. and Jerry Jeudy will have to pick up the slack.
Even so, Browns fans have plenty to be excited about. If Boston and Concepcion stay on top of the rookie leaderboard through January, they will have matched a feat that has not been done since World War II.
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