Any Cleveland Browns fan would have loved to be a fly on the wall watching general manager Andrew Berry and the team’s coaches and ownership make their plans during night one of the draft. It was a wild evening for the Browns and resulted in them picking up two much-needed players: offensive tackle Spencer Fano and wide receiver KC Concepcion.
In a lengthy and eye-opening piece for Yahoo Sports, Jori Epstein explored what went down as the Browns zeroed in on Concepcion – and the responses they received after.
According to Epstein, the Browns heard praise (and maybe even some jealousy) from other teams after they drafted Concepcion.
“Before the Seahawks draft running back Jadarian Price to end the round, an NFC general manager texts Berry: ‘We were trying to move up for KC. Good pick.’ And [director of player personnel Adam] Al-Khayyal receives a message from an AFC team saying that ‘if they’d traded back, they would have taken KC,'” Epstein wrote.
After picking Fano at No. 9, the Browns knew that a lot was riding on their No. 24 selection. They had come into the draft with two major goals: getting an OT and a WR. Many people viewed Fano as one of the best tackles in this rookie class, and the Browns wanted another slam-dunk pick for their wide receiver.
Concepcion had a lot of buzz on him before the draft, and there were reportedly multiple other teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, who were looking to draft him. By the time the No. 24 pick rolled around, the Browns surely knew they only had one chance at Concepcion because he would be grabbed by another team shortly thereafter.
During his 38 games in college, Concepcion recorded 185 catches for 2,218 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has been praised for his speed, his separation, and his versatility. The Browns wanted a youthful, explosive player for their wide receiver squad, and many people believe they have received that in Concepcion.
Like every rookie coming into the league, there are certain worries about Concepcion. For example, some analysts and scouts are troubled by the number of drops he has had. But with the right coaching staff and a strong relationship with his QB, the sky could be the limit for him.
Concepcion may be someone special, and it sounds like the Browns’ competition throughout the NFL knows that.
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