Being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the NFL Draft as a wide receiver seems pretty special if you are KC Concepcion. Cleveland hadn't drafted a wide receiver that high since they took Corey Coleman back in 2016. Before that, it was 2005 when the team drafted Braylon Edwards.
To add to the uniqueness of Concepcion's talents, there's a growing sentiment that Concepcion could be used as the Browns' primary punt returner as well. While the prospect of using the speedy wide receiver might seem intriguing, there's also a greater chance that Concepcion could get injured or worn down more easily during the season.
Concepcion is no stranger to returning punts. During his three years in college, he ended up handling 30 of them. He spent his first two seasons playing at North Carolina State, where he returned five punts. But it was during his only season at Texas A&M where he showed off his talents to the rest of the world.
As an Aggie, Concepcion returned 25 punts for 456 yards and an impressive 18-yard average, including two touchdowns. He was also catching passes at a high clip at Texas A&M, grabbing 61 receptions for 916 yards and nine touchdowns.
Concepcion was certainly a dual threat in college, and that same game plan might come in handy for his new team in Cleveland. He made it clear to reporters this week that he welcomes the challenge to handle as many punts as the coaches allow.
"Any way that I can change the game I would love to do it," Concepcion said. "I told the coaching staff whenever they picked me, this is something that I want to continue. I feel like I could change the game in many ways. As long as they allow me to go back there, I'll be back there."
The Browns have every reason to use KC Concepcion as a returner
In his first preseason game action a few weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, Concepcion bolted on one punt return for 31 yards. He also took a jet sweep for a 14-yard touchdown run in that game. He's definitely got the game to be that dual threat that the Browns might be looking for.
Historically, Cleveland has used football players as dual-threat players. When Eric Metcalf played for the Browns from 1989 to 1994, he returned 127 punts for 1,341 yards and scored five touchdowns. He also returned kicks 139 times for 2,806 yards and two touchdowns. At the same time, he was used as a running back by the team, totaling 2,229 yards and 12 more touchdowns over his six-year run.
So the dual-threat idea can be done — and Concepcion just might have what it takes to do it well.
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