Numbers don’t lie. They are never any shade of gray, and always either white or black. Nothing in between. Numbers tell the complete story and are never doused with sweeteners, which means no sugar coating.
All of this brings us to the Cleveland Browns receiver room from last year. Ranked #32. Out of 32 teams. Yeah, ouch.
RELATED: WHY CONCEPCION MAKES SO MUCH SENSE IN CLEVELAND
Not that Browns GM Andrew Berry hasn’t tried to make the receiver room respectable. He is not good at choosing receivers in the draft, as everyone he has taken since 2020 has either moved on, is out of football, or isn’t getting any type of production on the current roster. Only Jamari Thrash and Ced Tillman are still under contract. Last year, Thrash was waived, re-signed, and then placed back on the main roster.
Cleveland’s WR1, Jerry Jeudy, ranked #82 in the league in 2025 after balling out the previous campaign with his first Pro Bowl and gaining 1,229 yards. This past season, he had just 602 yards. How does a guy cut his production in half in a single season? Overall Pro Football Focus grade of 58.5.
So, receiver and offensive tackle were at the top of Berry’s list in this year’s NFL draft. In the first round at pick #24, he had his choice of about three exceptional receivers. His choice was KC Concepcion of Texas A&M.
Concepcion grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, although he was born in New York. His name is actually Kevin Concepcion, but everyone calls him “KC.” He attended Julius L. Chambers High School. He grew up a Buffalo Bills fan.
He played receiver and was the team’s punt returner, in which he returned three punts for touchdowns. He was ranked a four-star recruit by 247Sports.com.
He had college offers from Penn State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina, Charlotte, East Carolina, Old Dominion, West Virginia, Florida State, Coastal Carolina, Memphis, Mississippi State, and Georgia Tech. He ultimately chose NC State.
Concepcion is of Puerto Rican descent. His father, Kevin Sr., played college football at the University of Buffalo, and his younger brother Lloyd is a high school basketball star.
He has had a stutter speech issue that he has had his entire life. It has improved over time, and he is more patient when he speaks. He has mentioned a good support system regarding his impediment, and thinks about what he is about to say instead of just blurting it out as most of us do in everyday life. Obviously, this issue hasn’t been a factor once he suits up, and the Browns did their due diligence before they drafted him.
At NC State, Concepcion set freshman records with 10 touchdowns, 71 receptions for 839 yards. He then transferred to Texas A&M. In his final season, he had 61 catches for 919 yards and led the conference with his nine touchdowns. He also led the SEC in the number of punt returns with 25.
In his college career, he had 124 receptions for 1,299 yards with 25 TDs, a 12.0 average yards per catch, and 70 rushes for 431 yards with an additional three scores. Concepcion also returned 30 punts for 501 yards, two TDs, and a 16.7 yards per return average. For his college career, he scored 180 points.
A message from new Browns WR KC Concepcion 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/BQjZs22LfS
In all, Concepcion has scored five touchdowns on punt returns: three in high school and two in college.
Here is a wide receiver who will give this new Browns offense more speed and versatility, plus he is a player who can help in the punt return game. An electric playmaker that offers open-field vision and quick separation. He has the confidence to play from different alignments, whether that is inside or along the sideline. Great change-of-direction, and spatial feel. Concepcion offers natural separation. His hand technique and catch-point control are otherwise sound.
Concepcion’s profile mirrors Zay Flowers and Ladd McConkey—the top WRs in Monken’s offense at his last two stops.Elite separator with burst and YAC juice, plus punt return ability to match.The #Browns should be looking to land KC Concepcion in two weeks. https://t.co/vINteHmV3Y
Great speed player who averaged 7.2 YAC numbers in 2025, either by a pass reception, rush, or punt return in the same season. Very good numbers on jet sweeps.
Concepcion is expected to immediately become a force with the Browns’ receiving group, most likely in the slot. He is also a punt returner. In college, he averaged 15.1 yards per catch. He was #1 in success rate versus man coverage and #1 in success rate vs. press, #3 against zone, #4 in contested catch rate, and #9 in rate of plays in space with a broken tackle.
Great burst off the snap with over half his yardage gained after the catch. Legit deep speed will stretch the defense. Strong hands and body control. He gives Cleveland a rookie who can line up in the slot, move outside, carry the ball, and return punts if needed.