When it comes to the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams will have plenty of options to choose from at the wide receiver position. Whether it’s Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, or others, the Rams will have options. At this point, the question doesn’t seem to be whether or not the Rams will take a wide receiver, but which wide receiver they take.
While the 13th overall pick may be considered high, one player that the Rams will almost certainly look at in the first round is Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion. Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports and Reception Perception recently discussed how Concepcion may be the best fit for the Rams at the wide receiver position. Said Harmon,
“I think they make so much sense as a KC Concepcion team, and I’m a big KC fan. They need speed and he brings a lot of speed to the table. He already has a lot of experience running routes off full speed motion. He did a lot of that at Texas A&M last year, so you could immediately do some of that here for this team. KC can do some of the stuff underneath and can win downfield. I’m a big fan of his, and I think he could make a lot of sense in an offense like this. If you want more classic Rams receiver at 13, I do think Mekhi Lemon makes sense. This is one of the spots where I think he would be really well-suited and really well-accentuated, but is it a little bit too samey with what you already have with Puka Nacua? If you want a different flavor, then KC I think would be the guy there.”
Concepcion checks a lot of boxes for what the Rams currently need at the wide receiver position. After opting to not bring back Tutu Atwell, the Rams are in need of a deep threat that can win with speed on the outside. He ranked inside the top-40 in average depth of target and in catches of 20+ yards or more. That doesn’t mention Concepcion’s return ability.
Harmon also recently profiled Concepcion for Reception Perception and said,
“Nothing about Concepcion’s film or deployment at Texas A&M indicates he can’t thrive at every level and on the perimeter. You get snaps of him playing across the formation and at every receiver position. He got some reps being used as most of the smart offensive play-callers are deploying their top threats in today’s NFL…Concepcion is just a nightmare for opponent corners to cover and he eats up ground to uncover down the field, while possessing plenty of chops to separate quickly underneath. He doesn’t just win with speed; there’s so much nuance and strong technique present on his film that shows real maturity as a player. He deployed head fakes to break off against man coverage and has precise footwork at the top of his breaks to uncover…Straight up: KC Concepcion is the best separator in this draft class.”
Again, the fact that we are talking about players like Tate, Lemon, Tyson, Omar Cooper Jr., and now Concepcion shows that the Rams will have options at wide receiver in the draft. However, out of all those players, Concepcion may be the best overall fit in the Rams offense. He has alignment versatility and brings a speed element that the Rams currently don’t have outside of Xavier Smith. Concepcion would be perfect as a WR3 as a rookie and play the Van Jefferson role during the 2021 season.
Given how Sean McVay has continued to evolve the offense and a need for explosive plays, Concepcion feels like the type of player that unlocks another layer of the offense rather than replicates an already existing skillset. If the goal is to maximize this current window with Matthew Stafford, Concepcion may be the option that makes the most sense.
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