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KC Concepcion #17 of the Cleveland Browns

For the Cleveland Browns, the No. 2 task on the offensive side of the ball this year was to fix the ramshackle wide receiver room, which ranked among the worst in the NFL last season and was only behind the offensive line on the team’s checklist because the line had virtually no returning starters on hand. The importance of both positions was emphasized on Day 1 of the draft, when the Browns took tackle Spencer Fano at No. 9, and wide receiver KC Concepcion at No. 24.

Concepcion will be expected to step in and produce from the start, a tricky assignment for a rookie receiver, and especially concerning amid news back in March that he had a knee scope operation. It was not a major surgery, but it did require rehab and there was some question about how it would feel once Concepcion got back on the field for rookie minicamp this weekend.

Thumbs up, he said: “I feel good, first time out here, being around the guys, it feels great. It felt good, I feel amazing, I am 100%. I feel ready to play, honestly.”

KC Concepcion Had Knee Surgery in March

That’s not to say Concepcion and the Browns were not keeping watch over the knee. Asked about it after practice, coach Todd Monken said that Concepcion would continue to be monitored throughout the weekend to make sure they’re building him up and that he will be primed for what OTAs start late in the month.

Concepcion had the surgery back on March 12, and the expectation all along was that he would not need to miss any offseason work.

Said Monken: “We monitored him a little bit. But he was cleared, he was good to go. Knee looks great, we just want to make sure we get through this weekend and the first week so when the other guys get back, we’ll be able to go like we are today and see what we’ve got.”

Browns Begin Work on New WRs

Monken will be monitoring both of his new young receivers–the Browns took Denzel Boston in the second round–as much for what’s going on between their ears as what’s happening with their bodies. The Browns coach will have to walk a fine line between getting both Boston and Concepcion to produce in a way that transforms the receiver room, while also remembering they’re in their first seasons.

Monken would like to move both around to different wide receiver slots. But he pointed out he needs to be patient and keep his expectations in check.

“I think you’re better off at most putting them at two spots. If you can keep them at one spot, that helps their development. But I don’t think they can get away with that, they’re gonna have to learn at least a couple of spots,” Monken said.

“But you want them to be able to play fast and be able to function without having to think. That’s been difficult wherever I have been whenever you’ve got a rookie. It happened a few years ago at the place I was before, and you’ve just got to be careful with how much you put on their plate. But I was awfully pleased with them today and how they functioned.”