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 is a fan favorite after hitting back at vile trolls who mocked his speech impediment at the NFL Combine last month.
A week ahead of the Draft he went viral with a letter to NFL GMs in which he opened up on the stutter and told teams: ‘I’m the best receiver in this draft. Period.’
In the end, he was selected as the fourth WR off the board, following Carnell Tate (4), Jordyn Tyson (8) and Makai Lemon (20), and will head to Cleveland as the rebuild continues under new coach Todd Monken.
After the Combine in March, Concepcion had said of his stutter: ‘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.
KC Concepcion reacts after being selected at No 24 in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night
Wide receiver Concepcion has previously hit back at trolls who mocked his speech impediment
‘I appreciate everyone who supports me and has reached out to me after these interviews. Don’t let an outside person’s thoughts, 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 l 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, l 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.’
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 correct.
Concepcion stammered slightly while speaking with reporters at the NFL Combine
‘I’m really still kind of getting comfortable with it,’ he told The Associated Press in September.
‘It kind of used to be really, really bad when I was a kid,’ he said. ‘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.’
Concepcion’s father, a Bills fan named Kevin, also had stuttering issues, which became something that helped the two bond together.
‘As a little kid, it’s kind of tough having kids pick on you for your talking,’ he 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 pressured himself to speak publicly – something he compared to practice reps.
As he told the AP, ‘It’s literally just exactly like football.’
He wrote a letter to NFL GMs claiming he is the best wide receiver in the 2026 draft class
Speech issues aside, Concepcion is ready to make an impact in the NFL, and had multiple meetings with teams over the past few months.
Of all the praise Concepcion has received on his NFL journey, Aggies coach Mike Elko may be his top reference.
‘He’s got a tremendous work ethic,’ Elko told the AP of Concepcion. ‘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.’
