Former Texas A&M WR makes case as a top pick in Players Tribune piece
Former Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion wanted to make two things clear in his article for The Players' Tribune: he's the best wide receiver in the 2026 NFL draft class, and his stutter does not define him.
Concepcion began his piece, titled “A Letter to NFL GMs,” with a bold declaration.
“Dear NFL GMs,
By now you’ve probably heard that I stutter. Everyone has. And look, I get it. It’s a good story. I’m not mad at it. And I appreciate the love. But every time I’ve sat down for an interview that’s where we start, and that’s where we end. The stutter. The stutter. The stutter.
My stutter is part of who I am, but it’s not all of who I am. So, I figured … since I’ve got the pen this time, let me tell you the more complete story.
Here’s who I also am: I’m the best receiver in this draft. Period.”
He then made his case for being the best receiver in the nation, citing his “crisp routes” and his ability to “catch everything thrown near me.” He also takes pride in his work ethic, saying, “I work my tail off every practice, every drill. I get in and out of my breaks fast. And I will outwork ANYBODY you put in front of me.”
Concepcion has been a star for as long as he can remember, recalling a 350-rushing-yard, 7-touchdown game in the U10 championship against the Bulldogs, who were something of a youth league dynasty, according to KC. What he remembered most, however, was the feeling afterward.
“It felt amazing to have everybody congratulating me and hugging me and giving me high fives. It was teammates, classmates, parents, coaches, players on the other team , referees, just like everyone. It was all love. And I’ll never forget how good that felt.
“But by far the best part was seeing my mom’s face in that moment. How happy she was. She’d been with me from the very beginning — through every hard day, every afternoon I came home beat down, every moment I felt hopeless. She never lost faith. Not once. And her smile on that day meant everything to me. It was like she realized I had done what she told me. I hadn’t given up. I kept going.”
With the relentless support of his mom and years of hard work, KC finally overcame the limits his stutter used to impose on him. He shouted out to his mom, “You helped me get through the rough patches and reach a place where … by the time high school rolled around, nobody was thinking about how I spoke. They were too busy watching what I could do on the field.”
Indeed, we have been busy watching Concepcion on the field. A North Carolina native, he spent his first two seasons at NC State, tallying an absurd 1159 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns on 71 receptions in his freshman season. After a sophomore slump on a Wolfpack team that took a step back as a whole, finishing 6-7 and 3-5 in ACC play, Concepcion took his talents to College Station.
The Aggies had a brand new receiving corps last season, adding Mario Craver through the portal and elevating Ashton Bethel-Roman into a real WR3 role. As the X receiver, Concepcion shone at Texas A&M with 919 yards for an SEC-high 9 receiving touchdowns on 61 receptions. He also rushed for one TD, returned two punts for TDs, finished the season as an All-American, won the Paul Hornung award for most versatile player in college football, and is projected to be drafted in the late first/early second round.
Of course, Concepcion isn’t satisfied. He believes he is the best receiver in the draft, not in the top 5-8, as most analysts rank him. He won’t be the first WR off the board, and there’s a real chance he has to wait a day to hear his name called. But he wants GMs to give their consideration just one more time.
“There are a lot of great receivers in this year’s draft. But I promise you this: Everything I’ve been through didn’t just shape me … it’s still in me. Every rep, every route, every time I refuse to quit … that’s where it comes from. Draft me and you get all of that. I’ll put it up against anybody in this class. Any day. Any field. You’re getting someone who has been through it. Someone who knows how to keep going when things get hard. Because things have always been hard. But I’m still here.
“Before I get out of here, I do want to say, once again, for all to hear, that I’m the best receiver in this draft. But, at the end of the day, I’m so much more than just a football player. And any team that picks me is going to realize that immediately. So if you’re a GM out there reading this, put me on your team, and let’s get to work.”
Read the full article by KC Concepcion at The Players' Tribune
Read part two on Concepcion's character, which is not defined by his stutter
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: KC Concepcion makes his case as a top pick in Players' Tribune piece
