INDIANAPOLIS — A dozen years have passed since a Texas A&M receiver was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Tampa Bay’s selection of Mike Evans turned out pretty good.
Another A&M receiver could be picked in the first round this season. If a team uses a first-round pick on A&M’s KC Concepcion, they won’t be sorry.
That’s the message Concepcion delivered to a gaggle of reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday.
“Anybody who’s willing to take a chance on me, you know, I think will get a steal,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion has a lot of confidence. And with good reason.
“They like my competitiveness. They like my versatility … that I could play any position on the field. I could throw the ball. I can run the ball. I can catch the ball.
- Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion
Concepcion completed the best season for an A&M receiver since Christian Kirk in 2017.
Concepcion earned All-SEC and All-American acclaim by catching 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns.
Kirk, a two-time All-SEC selection, had 71 catches for 919 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017.
He also averaged 19.1 yards on 10 punt returns and brought back one for a touchdown.
Concepcion averaged 18.2 yards on 25 punt returns and brought back two for touchdowns.
The word around Indianapolis is that Concepcion’s draft status is rising. He has apparently impressed NFL teams this week in interviews. He’d already impressed them with his speed, explosiveness, route and running abilities.
“They like my competitiveness,” Concepcion said. “They like my versatility … that I could play any position on the field. I could throw the ball. I can run the ball. I can catch the ball.
“Something the NFL teams feel like I can improve on is my concentration. This year I had seven drops. It’s something that I have to work on. I’m going to work every day to fix it. Once I get a chance, you know, I’m gonna catch everything.”
Indeed, if Concepcion’s draft status drops, it’ll be because of the drops.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah agreed that’s the primary — and maybe only — concern about Concepcion.
“KC Concepcion of Texas A&M has got elite, elite speed,” Jeremiah said. “He’s got a couple of punt return touchdowns, so throw that in the mix. He runs away from everybody. He’s got some route polish to him as well.
“The thing with him is just the drops. He had seven drops this year. You’re going to have to live with some of that, but he’s going to give you the explosive plays that go along with it.”
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
KC Concepcion became the first Aggie to post a rushing, receiving and punt return touchdown in a single season in the modern era.
Concepcion led the SEC with 41 pass plays of 10 yards or more. That included 11, which covered at least 20 yards, and seven that covered 30 yards or more.
He turned a short pass into a 48-yard touchdown vs. Missouri. He hauled in a 45-yard pass vs. Notre Dame. He had a 43-yard catch vs. South Carolina.
He also returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown vs. UTSA. He returned another one 79 yards for a touchdown vs. LSU.
“As soon as I get the ball in my hands, it’s electric,” Concepcion said. “I will never let the first guy take me down. It doesn’t matter if it’s a screen or if it was a slant.”
A&M teammate Will Lee III can confirm.
“He’s like a running back when he catches the ball,” Lee said. “When he catches that ball, it’s hard to take him down. I respect him for it. He works hard at his game. I think he’s the best receiver in the draft, to be honest.”
Lee can also attest to Concepcion’s ability to run precise routes.
“We had this one practice. We were doing open field one-on-one. We were going back at it, back at it, and we had one more rep,” Lee said. “He gave me a good outside release sell. Then he came back and swiped me back across and ran a slant.
“Just doing little things like that, being a counter receiver, goes a long way. I just loved going against him every day at practice.”
The Aggies loved the fact that he was in their practices.
Previously, Concepcion played two seasons at North Carolina State. A&M needed speed at receiver, so Concepcion was targeted in the transfer portal.
“That year meant everything to me. I had a down year my sophomore year (at NC State). I thank coach (Mike) Elko, coach (Holman) Wiggins and coach (Collin) Klein. They believed in me. They took a chance on me. They allowed me to be me again.”
- Texas a&M wide receiever KC Concepcion
A&M, which went 11-2 last season, obviously benefited from getting Concepcion.
Concepcion, though, said he benefited from his one season at Texas A&M.
“That year meant everything to me,” he said. “I had a down year my sophomore year (at NC State). I thank coach (Mike) Elko, coach (Holman) Wiggins and coach (Collin) Klein. They believed in me. They took a chance on me. They allowed me to be me again.”
NFL teams are intrigued by him. He’s had several formal interviews this week. One of his favorite meetings was with the Buffalo Bills. Concepcion was born in Rochester, NY.
“The Bills are actually my dad’s favorite team,” he said. “I’ve been watching them since I was young. I’ve been seeing Josh Allen. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”
Concepcion said he would be grateful to be drafted by the Bills.
But he’d have gratitude to be taken by a lot of other teams, too. Including one that has been a nemesis of the Bills in recent years.
The Kansas City Chiefs have eliminated the Bills from the playoffs four times in the last six seasons.
“I had a pretty good meeting with the Chiefs. They brought up my versatility,” Concepcion said. “KC is my name. KC in KC kind of has a little ring to it.”
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