Prospect Profile: KC Concepcion

Concepcion’s collegiate career began as an under-the-radar, three-star recruit out of Chambers HS (NC). Though he held offers from such programs as Florida State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, and Penn State, Concepcion focused on his in-state options. After taking official visits to NC State and North Carolina in back-to-back weekends before his senior year, Concepcion committed to the Wolfpack to continue his playing career.

After enrolling early as a freshman, Concepcion became an immediate impact player in his first year in Raleigh. He drove NC State’s offense nearly single-handedly, leading the team in receptions (71), receiving yards (839), and receiving touchdowns (10); the second best in each category was 28 catches, 247 yards, and three touchdowns. If it wasn’t for the Wolfpack’s dual-threat quarterback in 2023, Concepcion would’ve also been the team’s leading rusher, as well. He didn’t score any touchdowns on the ground, but his 320 rushing yards surpassed the totals of of all four running backs with carries on the team that year, despite Concepcion have few carries than three of them.

Concepcion’s usage in his sophomore season dropped drastically with a different quarterback. He still led the team in receptions (53) and receiving touchdowns (6), but his 460 yards through the air were third-best. He opted to enter the transfer portal and, after receiving much more interest as a recruit, committed to the Aggies. In his final year of collegiate play, Concepcion earned consensus All-American honors as an All-Purpose player and as a return man. He led the Aggies in receptions (61), receiving yards (919), and receiving touchdowns (9), though sophomore wideout Mario Craver (59-917-4) was right behind him. After only returning five punts in two years at NC State, Concepcion displayed elite return ability in College Station, averaging 18.2 yards per return and taking two to the house.

Part of what makes Concepcion such an effective return man is something that makes him so effective as a rusher and receiver, as well. Elite agility makes Concepcion incredibly difficult to contain once he gets some space, with almost half his yards coming after the catch. He may not have that top-end speed once he gets going, but he can fluidly accelerate and decelerate to make tacklers miss, pull away when breaking in a route, or make adjustments to the ball while it’s in the air. He’s an aggressive offensive weapon who often uses instinct to find the open areas of the field.

There are only a few things that may drop him out of the first round. He’s not the biggest prospect, so some teams won’t like him as anything but a slot receiver. His instinctual route-running can also lead to anticipated passes coming up in a different area than he’s in. Concepcion could also stand to be a bit more aware of his hands. When coming out of breaks, he’s often late bringing his hands up. As a result, he too often ends up with awkward body catches or, worse, drops; he totaled 19 drops in three years of collegiate play and muffed a punt in his final game as an Aggie.

As a prospect, Concepcion ranks very close to first-round status. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network slots Concepcion as the 29th-best overall prospect and the sixth-best wide receiver. Dane Brugler of The Athletic places him at No. 21 overall as WR4 of the class, while Todd McShay of The Ringer has him 33rd as the sixth receiver in the class. A recent report indicated that only two wide receivers are expected to be drafted in the first 15 picks. An early run could have helped Concepcion solidify his first-round status, even if he were the sixth receiver off the board, but a slow start at the position could space things out more and drive him into the second round.

Concepcion’s draft stock also took a hit awhile back after he underwent a “routine and preventative” knee scope at the hands of the Cowboys’ Dr. Daniel Cooper. The procedure held him out of drills at the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day, but he’s expected to be ready to participate in rookie minicamps after the draft. It will be interesting to see if he can sneak into the first round or if a late run of pass catchers will push him to Day 2.