The months between the end of the college football season and the start of the NFL Draft are the months when a prospect trying to make the leap into the professional level never wants to make headlines. Yes, a scorching performance the Scouting Combine is great. Sure, a Senior Bowl standout write-up is nice. But for the most part, a player is just hoping that the drills and interviews back up the game film and nothing more.
But draft stock moves in two directions. Just as a player can get red hot going into the draft, it's also common for a prospect or three to see things plummet. News of player arrest or medical concerns will move names down a team's draft board, and that's what KC Concepcion has to be worried about.
KC Concepcion's red flag
NFL reporter Mike Garafolo broke the news on Monday that the wideout from Texas A&M had his knee scoped in a "routine and preventative" procedure a week ago. Garafolo adds that Concepcion is "expected to be 100 percent for rookie camp."
On the surface, that's not the worst thing for Concepcion. Honestly, it might not affect his draft stock much at all, but it does bring his health into question, and when comparing prospects at such a high level, teams are often looking for a reason to pick one prospect over another.
What this means for the Chiefs
Where this gets interesting for the Kansas City Chiefs is that they're picking right in the range of where Concepcion is projected to go. No one can say with any certainty how the draft will fall in any given year, but mock drafts place Concepcion as a late first-round pick.
After the first tier of wide receivers—made up of Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon—there's no obvious player who would be the next target off the board. Some teams will love Omar Cooper Jr. of Indiana. Others are going to think highly of Denzel Boston of Washington. Chris Brazzell II of Tennessee will also be a name to watch late in the first round. Concepcion is right in the thick of that group.
Via the Trent McDuffie trade with the L.A. Rams, the Chiefs have the No. 29 overall selection in the first round. They also have No. 40 overall near the top of the second round. Depending on what a team's medical staff says about Concepcion's future, it's possible Concepcion could be there for the taking at either of those picks. After all, it's only a variance of 11 spots.
It will be interesting to see how teams treat this medical concern given that he was healthy enough to play in 38 games over the last three years with strong production at multiple spots at each stop—one in College Station and two in Raleigh, where he played at N.C. State before transferring. But if some teams want to hold off on Concepcion, he could fall right to the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have wide receiver as a major long-term need at this point. Rashee Rice is in a contract year. Xavier Worthy hasn't progressed as hoped. JuJu Smith-Schuster left, and Tyquan Thornton set a career-high with 438 yards last year. There's no clear alpha in the room, and the offense loses Travis Kelce next season, too.
If the Chiefs pass on one at No. 9 overall, Concepcion could be a nice grab at No. 29. But if they also want to chance it, they might be able to steal a first-round value near the top of the second round and address other premium positions with those first two picks. Imagine walking away with an edge and defensive back in the first two rounds only to come back with Concepcion in the second. That's a tremendous young trio to add to the roster.
It will be interesting to see if Concepcion's news influences his draft stock. The Chiefs should be listening for any signs at all, since they have two selections exactly in the range where the talented receiver and returner could fall. And KC in K.C. doesn't sound so bad.