The Cleveland Browns addressed a major area of concern during Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. They selected Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion with the 24th overall pick. The Browns needed to make an upgrade at wideout, and they might have a potential star in Concepcion.
The young wideout led the Aggies in receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns last season. There’s certainly plenty of upside in his play style, which is exciting for Browns fans.
Analyst Nathan Zegura believes Concepcion has WR1 potential.
“Todd Monken’s confident in it so that gives me confidence…He’s trying to make plays. If you got a guy who can get the ball in the end zone you can live with (drops). He’s a hands catcher,” says Zegura on the Browns selecting Concepcion.
"Todd Monken's confident in it so that gives me confidence… He's trying to make plays. If you got a guy who can get the ball in the end zone you can live with (drops). He's a hands catcher."
📞@NathanZegura says KC Concepcion has WR1 potential pic.twitter.com/dW0Ymz3IEA
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 24, 2026
Concepcion was the fourth wideout taken off the board despite Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. still sitting there at No. 24. With that being said, clearly Monken and the Browns front office had a plan to take Concepcion all along. This organization sees something in the young wideout, even if the projections and numbers have Concepcion lower on draft boards.
The biggest concern with Concepcion is the number of drops. As mentioned earlier, Concepcion led the Aggies in multiple offensive categories. He also had a 10.3% drop rate, which is a real concern heading into the professional level. Analysts such as Zegura believe you can live with the drops because his upside outweighs his flaws.
The natural ability is there with Concepcion, drawing comparisons to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. As Zegura said, the Browns’ front office believes in Concepcion, so maybe they should get the benefit of the doubt. Monken was able to have success with Zay Flowers during his time in Baltimore. Flowers has a similar build to Conepcion, so he could be planning to use him in the same way.
Concepcion is one of the most dynamic wideouts in this draft class and is well worth the risk at No. 24. This team needed to make an upgrade at wide receiver, and Concepcion is certainly that.
He might not be perfect, but he will hopefully be a reliable contributor.
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