The 2026 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and it’s time to start diving into the top prospects. The Rookies to Know series aims to identify first-year players who have the talent and potential to make an impact for your fantasy football teams in 2026. Plenty of rookies proved to be relevant during the 2025 fantasy football season, and we’ll do our best to find the first-year players in this upcoming draft who can help your fantasy teams this fall.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to rookies, they often provide pockets of value, meaning they may give your fantasy team a boost for a particular stretch of the season, but maybe not for the duration of the year. Patience can be difficult when managing rookies on your re-draft rosters, but it can pay huge dividends. Just look at Bears Tight End Colston Loveland. He had a slow start to his rookie year, but by the fantasy playoffs, his role increased, culminating in a 21.4 point PPR performance in Week 17 when fantasy championships were on the line. That’s just one example, but it shows how important rookies can be in redraft and best ball leagues. They may not carry your team from Weeks 1-17, but a few spike weeks from a rookie could put your team in a better position to make the playoffs or even win a championship.
This year, the Rookies to Know articles will attempt to be as easily digestible as possible. We’ll start with a background on the player, followed by strengths, weaknesses, and finish up with one or two ideal and realistic landing spots. The goal is to know how the player’s strengths can translate to fantasy production as a rookie, and where they can improve in order for them to reach their ceiling as a fantasy asset.
The Rookies to Know series continues on with a look at an exciting play-making receiver who could become an appealing name to know when fantasy football drafts roll around.
KC Concepcion, Wide Receiver, Texas A&M
Height: 5’11 5/8″
Weight; 196 pounds
Arm length: 30 1/4″
Hand size: 9 1/4″
Background:
Concepcion hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, and attended Julius Chambers High School. He was the #8 ranked player in the state and a four-star recruit from Rivals entering college. The 21-year-old started at NC State, where he made an immediate impact as a freshman. He piled up 71 receptions for 839 yards and earned the ACC Rookie of the Year award. The Wolfpack also made Concepcion a priority in the run game during his freshman year, handing him 41 carries. It was an early example of how versatile a player Concepcion would become. His sophomore campaign wasn’t quite as prolific, but he still managed 53 receptions for 460 yards. The North Carolina native entered the transfer portal prior to the 2025 season and landed with Texas A&M.
As an Aggie last season, Concepcion blossomed, coming away with 61 receptions for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added 75 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown to top off his final college season. Concepcion didn’t participate in the 40 yard-dash of vertical jump at the NFL Combine, but he did participate in on-field drills and impressed. He put an emphasis on cleaning up the drops that he had last season during his Combine workout, showing a willingness to get better and an understanding of where he can improve.
Strengths:
- Dynamic weapon with the ball in his hands
- Arguably the best YAC (yards after catch) receiver in the draft
- Quick release off the line of scrimmage and is excellent at creating separation from defensive backs
- Impressive at fighting for extra yards in spite of his smaller size, as seen here around the 1:40 mark in this breakdown by Underdog’s Josh Norris and Hayden Winks
- Well-rounded route tree; according to Reception Perception’s Matt Harmon, Concepcion has at least a 66% route success rate on 10 of the 11 route types he charted
- 78.3% success rate against man coverage based on Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception charting (only four players have a better success rate since 2021: Travis Hunter, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Elijah Moore); that’s another great indication of his ability to separate and win in one-on-one situations
- Shows the ability to make contested and off-balance catches
- Excellent kick returner and will add value to special teams for whatever team that drafts him
- Played well against high-level competition; check this route out against top CB prospect Mansoor Delane around the 27:20 mark (another great example of how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands)
Weaknesses:
- Has to clean up the drops
- At 5’11” and 196 pounds does not possess the ideal size for the position
- Occasionally will leave his feet too early in the catch process
Bottom line:
Concepcion is a player to get excited about. In the era of NFL defenses playing two high safeties, explosive plays are at more of a minimum. The former Aggie is a weapon with the ball in his hands and a yards after the catch monster, exactly what an NFL offense needs to combat the two-high look. His drop rate was higher than we’d like, but that’s not necessarily a stat that automatically translates to the NFL. Concepcion is an easy guy to root for, too. Even though he has a speech impediment, he didn’t let that get in the way of speaking at the NFL Combine, as he hopes to be an example for those in similar situations.
Underdog’s Josh Norris also noted that Concepcion learned under WR coach Holmon Wiggins at Texas A&M. Wiggins was previously Alabama’s WR coach from 2019-23 and coached the likes of DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Jerry Jeudy. Getting coached by someone who helped Smith, Waddle, and Jeudy become first-round picks is just another encouraging mark for Concepcion’s scouting profile.
Ideal fantasy landing spot (s):
Maybe this is a cop out, but the easy landing spot that would get us all excited in fantasy football is the San Francisco 49ers. They hold the 27th pick in the first round, a reasonable draft slot to be in contention to draft Concepcion, but probably towards the end of his range. Concepcion’s YAC ability would be a good fit in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
A wild card team that I haven’t seen connected much to Concepcion is the Eagles, who have the 23rd pick. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported A.J. Brown is likely to be traded to the Patriots post June 1, when the salary cap implications are more doable. Philly traded for WR Dontayvion Wicks from the Packers recently, and also added Hollywood Brown in free agency. While Wicks, Brown, and DeVonta Smith aren’t the best complements to Concepcion, considering they’re all smaller-framed receivers, the Birds are quietly a team that could use an influx of younger talent around Jalen Hurts. Saquon Barkley is 29 years old and entering his 9th season, while Tight End Dallas Goedert is 31 and quite possibly on his way out of Philadelphia after 2026. Concepcion would add a young, explosive receiver into an offense that stalled out in 2025, while the landing spot would allow him to catch passes from a Super Bowl-winning quarterback motivated to return to form.
Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)