The weeks leading up to the NFL Draft are all about smoke and mirrors, but one player has absolutely caught fire in the lead up to the first round. Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion has moved from the late-first round pick, potentially even waiting until day two to hear his name, to now having a very real potential he could be taken as high as No. 11 — maybe even sneaking into the Top 10. ESPN has noted that Concepcion is one of the draft’s biggest risers right now.

There’s one very real reason this is happening: Everyone is starting to realize who KC Concepcion is, and how good he could be in the NFL.

If you simply pull up Concepcion’s season stats there’s not much to write home about. He finished with 61 catches on the season in 2025, putting up 919 yards (37th in CFB), and finishing with nine touchdowns. In a world where top receivers routinely put up more than 1,000 yards on the outside to be top picks, it’s considerably more difficult to justify a predominant slot receiver with these numbers alone.

The big thing about Concepcion’s play exists outside the numbers, with the considerable number of plays which were left on the field in 2025. The Aggies had below-average QB play last year, with sophomore Marcel Reed being a good talent, but one that operates entirely opposed to what makes Concepcion a good player. Reed’s ability to extend plays and throw off platform is great for leveraging positive plays in broken coverage situations, but poor when it comes to precision throws out of the playbook.

That matters a huge deal when it comes to KC Concepcion.

When we look at the 2026 NFL Draft receiver class there’s a common thread that runs through Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson as the top prospects: They all have extremely good ball skills and an ability to make catches in traffic. These are undeniably great traits to have, but all are lacking what Concepcion brings to the table when it comes to separation and quick-twitch speed.

This is Concepcion’s unicorn trait, and why we’re seeing him fly up the board.

What makes this so fascinating is that Concepcion is unlikely to be a team’s No. 1 receiver like the aforementioned prospects, but the issue is that Tate, Lemon, and Tyson aren’t really convincing No. 1s. All three have some risk associated with them. While Concepcion doesn’t map as well onto the No. 1 receiver role, he looks like a home-run No. 2 option in the NFL.

This means that teams who already have a solid foundational No. 1 receiver are beginning to realize that pairing a ball-skill pass catcher on the outside with Concepcion’s separation in the slot or slacks could completely open up an offense. There is a very real chance that the Texas A&M rookie could evolve into the ultimate 2nd read in the NFL because of his ability to shake DBs at the snap, with a QB seeing their primary covered, and then quickly pivoting into Concepcion as a second option.

That is a vastly underrated quality he brings to the table, and a huge reason why film is leading to him flying up the boards.

How high could Concepcion go and who makes sense?

We’re really zeroing in on teams with established top receivers who need more weapons on offense. The Miami Dolphins already have a private meeting set up with Concepcion, which is an extremely weird fit after trading away Jaylen Waddle. With Waddle it would have made a lot of sense, but now I think No. 11 would carry weird expectations and fail to work.

The Washington Commanders at No. 7 is the highest possible spot I see Concepcion going. In this role he would be a fantastic progression option after Terry McLaurin and give Jayden Daniels a much-needed weapon. It’s more likely that Washington looks at a defensive player, but if they go offense then he makes a ton of sense for them.

After that theres a feeding frenzy as we hit the teens. The Rams (No. 13) make a ton of sense, the Jets (No. 16) would be a good fit with Garrett Wilson, the Panthers (N0. 19) could also go receiver for a third year in a row as they try to give Bryce Young the best chance to prove his ability.

In short, any hope of getting Concepcion in the late 20s is out the window at this point. Teams are seeing the value in his ability to separate at the snap, and diving deeper into this class is revealing that he possesses skills nobody else really does. In a draft class full of question marks Concepcion isn’t ideal as a No. 1 receiver, but he is the perfect second option. That will cause him to get taken much higher than a lot of people expect.