Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion is heading to the NFL after being selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 24 pick of the 2026 Draft. Concepcion, a fan favorite, gained widespread attention after bravely addressing vile trolls who mocked his speech impediment at the NFL Combine last month.
A Stand Against Bullying
Just a week before the Draft, Concepcion went viral with an open letter to NFL general managers, in which he candidly discussed his stutter and boldly declared, 'I'm the best receiver in this draft. Period.' In the end, he was chosen as the fourth wide receiver off the board, following Carnell Tate (4th overall), Jordyn Tyson (8th), and Makai Lemon (20th). He will now head to Cleveland as the team continues its rebuild under new head coach Todd Monken.
After the Combine in March, Concepcion spoke out about his stutter, saying, 'I just wanna say something: if you have a speech impediment, there is nothing wrong with us. I have had this stutter since I can remember talking. This is a part of me, this is who I am, I cannot control this. I wanna be a role model for those who may be scared to speak up, who may be afraid and not confident in yourself. I stand with you. This weekend has taught me a lot about myself and people out here in this world.'
He added, 'I appreciate everyone who supports me and has reached out to me after these interviews. Don't let an outside person's thoughts or opinions get in the way of you being great or of you achieving something in life. I am blessed to be in the position that I am in, and I want to help give back to those who are scared to speak up, who aren't as confident. I stand with you, I will always stand with you. We are different for a reason. God has blessed my life in a way I couldn't even imagine in this past year. I love y'all and support y'all as we climb this mountain together.'
On-Field Performance
The six-foot receiver is coming off a productive season in College Station, where he finished with 919 yards and nine touchdowns on 61 receptions. It was during his final year with the Aggies that Concepcion opened up about his lifelong speech issues, which he continues to work on.
In a September interview with The Associated Press, Concepcion admitted, 'I'm really still kind of getting comfortable with it. It kind of used to be really, really bad when I was a kid. But, you know, just taking my little speech classes here and there, I really didn't like going to them because I kind of felt like I was a little weird. ... Just being taught how to try to like speak fluently and not stutter or anything.'
Family Support
Concepcion's father, Kevin, a Bills fan, also struggled with stuttering, which became a bonding experience for the two. 'As a little kid, it's kind of tough having kids pick on you for your talking,' Concepcion said. 'Just seeing him deal with it also helped me out, you feel me. And it made me feel like I wasn't the only one.'
Concepcion ultimately quit his speech classes and instead pushed himself to speak publicly, comparing the process to practice reps. As he told the AP, 'It's literally just exactly like football.'
Ready for the NFL
Speech issues aside, Concepcion is ready to make an impact in the NFL and had multiple meetings with teams over the past few months. Among the praise he has received, Aggies coach Mike Elko stands out. 'He's got a tremendous work ethic,' Elko told the AP. 'I really enjoy the way he competes day in and day out, that really showed itself in the off-season as well. So, there's a maturity about him that I really like. He wants to be great and that shows every day, which is a really cool characteristic in a kid. And I think he's a kid that rises to moments.'
