BEREA — KC Concepcion can play inside as a wide receiver. He can play on the outside. He can even return punts.
There are a lot of things the former Texas A&M wide receiver believes he’s bringing to the Browns. That includes something that should fit right in with the Dawg Pound.
“I’m versatile,” Concepion, the No. 24 overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft, said in a conference call. “I make plays. I can play anywhere. I can run any route. Whatever I give you, you guys are going to be getting a dog all over the field.”
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Concepcion was the second pick Cleveland made in the first round of the draft, with a pick it acquired in a 2025 draft-day trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns started their 2026 draft by trading back from No. 6 to No. 9 with the Kansas City Chiefs before selecting Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano.
Fano will be coming in to fill a massive hole on the offensive line at left tackle. The 5-foot-11½, 191-pound Concepcion fills an equally massive hole at the wide receiver position, where the Browns have been young, inexperienced and mostly unproductive recently.
So what’s Concepcion looking to do when he gets to Cleveland?
“Get your popcorn ready,” Concepcion said. “I’m ready right now. I’m ready to play. I’m ready to change the organization.”
Concepcion was the fourth wide receiver to go off the board in the first round. Two — Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (No. 4, Tennessee Titans) and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson (No. 8, New Orleans Saints) — went ahead of Fano in the top 10, and USC’s Makai Lemon went to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 20 after they traded up with the Dallas Cowboys.
Concepcion started his college career at North Carolina State, where he was a Freshman All-American and ACC Rookie of the Year in 2023 and finished with 124 catches for 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns. He left the Wolfpack after the 2024 season and transferred to Texas A&M, where he had 61 catches for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American and the Paul Horning Award winner as the most versatile player in college football with a SEC-leading 456 punt return yards and two touchdowns.
That work on punt returns is something that should also benefit the Browns, who have struggled immensely to find a consistent threat at that position for at least decade. Concepcion averaged 16.2 yards on punt returns during his college career.
“Yeah, it was very, very attractive,” Concepcion said of his versatility, particularly in the return game. “They wanted me to be able to move around everywhere and be that guy in the return game.”
Concepcion doesn’t come to Cleveland without an Achilles heel in his game, although, it’s one he has been very open about throughout the pre-draft process — drops.
Over the course of his college career, Concepcion had 19 drops. That includes seven during his one season at Texas A&M.
“I have had some drops,” Concepcion said. “During the offseason, I am going to work nonstop so I can fix that.”
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: KC Concepcion wants to be a ‘dog’ after being drafted by Browns at No. 24
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
