With uncertain receiver futures, the 49ers eye explosive pass-catchers like KC Concepcion to fuel their offense.
The San Francisco 49ers are set to pick at No. 27 as the NFL draft nears. Two positions are seeing plenty of hype heading into the selection should the team stay put rather than draft out of the pick: Offensive tackle and wide receiver.
The selections make sense for different but similar reasons. The Niners face uncertainty at both positions.
With wide receiver specifically, the Niners are looking to mitigate against the potential that Brandon Aiyuk does not suit up for the team in 2026. And while the wide receiver position is solid after offseason acquisitions, it's hard to say it cannot be improved.
One prospect that is seeing San Francisco buzz is Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion. After proving one of the best wide receivers in college football even prior to transferring to Texas A&M, Concepcion is viewed by many as a future NFL starter.
NFL draft analyst Todd McShay provided the following draft profile for the talented Texas A&M wide receiver in Concepcion. McShay described what his future team is getting when they select him in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft.
"Concepcion is an undersized slot receiver (with some inside-out versatility) who uncovers in a flash in the short to intermediate passing game and excels with the ball in his hands—after the catch, as a runner, and in the return game. He quickly reaches top speed off the line of scrimmage and makes sharp breaks at full speed. He also shows a good feel for locating and sitting in soft pockets of zone coverage and a really good understanding of leveraging his routes against those coverages. While he projects as a slot receiver in the NFL, it’s worth noting that Concepcion was split out wide on 453 of his 674 wide receiver snaps at Texas A&M in 2025.
His top-end speed is very good but not elite. What makes him so dangerous with the ball in his hands is how quickly he reaches top speed. He’s not as twitched up as the smaller Zachariah Branch, but he has outstanding vision as a runner, combined with really good stop-start and jump-cut ability to make sharp across-the-grain cuts."
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) catches the ball during warmups before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesThe Niners are in a good spot with wide receiver Mike Evans, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey manning playmaking positions. Nevertheless, adding talented pass catching depth could help the Niners protect against potential injuries.
Whether or not Concepcion is the answer at receiver is to be seen, but his on the field production gives plenty of reason for confidence he would be a good pick in the first round.
San Francisco is set to make a splash in the 2026 season. They will look to punctuate that belief with a strong first round selection at the end of the month.