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Cleveland Browns rookie receiver KC Concepcion is having a busy offseason.
KC Concepcion’s first NFL offseason has been memorable for more than football.
The Browns‘ rookie receiver recently got engaged to his girlfriend, Lemyah Hylton. Cleveland’s social media team joined in the celebration, offering congratulations to Concepcion and Hylton as the first-round pick continues a whirlwind year.
“Big congrats to KC and his fiancée on their engagement over the weekend!” the post said.
Hylton also posted her version.
“God wrote our love story long before we even knew each other’s names,” she said. “Now, we step into His promise together.”
Concepcion, 21, was selected with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a standout final college season at Texas A&M. Hylton, a basketball player who also transferred to Texas A&M, was by his side on draft night when Concepcion heard his name called.
The Browns did not draft Concepcion in the first round to ease him in slowly. Cleveland added him as part of a major offensive retooling, pairing him with second-round receiver Denzel Boston to give new head coach Todd Monken more weapons in the passing game. Concepcion brings a different skill set than Boston, with quickness, separation ability and yards-after-catch potential that should give the Browns a movable weapon.
Monken was careful not to make a full comparison to Zay Flowers, whom he coached with the Baltimore Ravens. But he did see some similarities in what Concepcion could bring.
“I think there are some traits that are similar to that,” Monken said. “But I love when people spoke about KC, it reminded me of Zay in that, in terms of how he practiced, what he brings in every day. And if you’re looking for that comparison, that I can compare, I believe he’s going to bring that like Zay did.”
Wide receivers coach Christian Jones also praised Concepcion’s approach during the offseason program, especially as the rookie works to clean up some of the concentration drops that followed him into the draft process.
“KC came in with the right mindset,” Jones said. “He was ready to work on what he thought was an issue coming into the draft.”
Concepcion could also have a role on special teams. He was one of the most dangerous punt returners in college football last season, and new special teams coordinator Byron Storer has backed the idea of him being a factor there.
“I agree with Andrew 100% that he was the best punt returner in this year’s draft class,” Storer said. “I trust him back there catching it clean, very natural ball catcher.”
Cleveland’s offense was one of the worst in the NFL last season, ranking 31st with 16.4 points per game and averaging just 165.1 passing yards. The Browns also finished with only 30 total touchdowns.
That led to an aggressive offseason reset. Monken was hired to reshape the offense, the Browns invested heavily in the offensive line and they used premium draft capital on Concepcion and Boston to upgrade a receiver room that needed more juice.
How quickly the offense improves will depend heavily on the quarterback. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders left minicamp locked in a tight competition, with Monken declining to name a starter before training camp. Watson is trying to reclaim the job after missing all of last season, while Sanders is trying to build on a rookie year in which he took over late and showed enough to remain firmly in the mix.
Monken said both quarterbacks have earned the chance to keep competing once the Browns put pads on.
J.R. DeGroote Browns beat writer for Heavy.com. Covering the NFL and NBA since 2019. ASU Cronkite grad. More about J.R. DeGroote
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