Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken Sees Zay Flowers Traits in KC Concepcion
As Zay Flowers became a two-time Pro Bowl receiver with the Ravens, Todd Monken had a front-row seat. Now, the Ravens' former offensive coordinator is the Browns' head coach and sees similarities between Flowers and Browns rookie KC Concepcion, who was the 24th overall pick.
At Texas A&M last season, the 5-foot-11, 196-pound Concepcion caught 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns.
"There are some traits that are similar to [Flowers]," Monken said, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. "I love when people spoke about KC, it reminded me of Zay in that, in terms of how he practiced, what he brings in every day. And if you're looking for that comparison, that I can compare, I believe he's going to bring that like Zay did."
Cleveland was the NFL's second-lowest scoring team in 2025 (16.4 points per game), ahead of only the Las Vegas Raiders (14.2). The Browns went offense with their first three picks, taking tackle Spencer Fano ninth overall, followed by Concepcion and second-round wide receiver Denzel Boston. They're hoping Monken can lead an offensive resurgence, and Concepcion is a major part of that plan. He averaged 7.4 yards after the catch last season.
"He's dynamic," General Manager Andrew Berry said. "He's an outstanding separator, really good with the ball in his hands. Honestly, probably the best punt returner in this class.
"I do think there are some similarities [to Flowers] in terms of movement skills, the twitch. ... I think the one thing that maybe gets a little bit lost is KC is a much bigger player than Zay, but I think there is some overlap in the characteristics. If we get a player who's comparable to Zay Flowers when we're sitting here from three years, we'll be elated."