Which First-Year Players Should You Draft?
Recommendations for drafting rookies in redraft leagues, including Jeremiyah Love and KC Concepcion
WR · CLE · 21 yrs · exp 0 · Texas A&M
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Recommendations for drafting rookies in redraft leagues, including Jeremiyah Love and KC Concepcion
Even in an NFL where the run game has been resurgent in recent seasons, the passing game is still king. After all, the reason we've seen teams lean more into the run of late is because defenses have prioritized taking away explosive passes. They are more content to let offenses try to beat them with the body blows of a series of runs, betting they can't do it without making mistakes before they reach the end zone. Because the NFL is still a passing league, wide receivers have never been more important. We've seen evidence of that in recent offseasons, as the financial market for wideouts has exploded and now tops $40 million per year. Of course, you can't just get away with having one good wide receiver. You need to build a receiver room that can threaten defenses in a variety of ways -- at least, if you want to have a really good offense. And with that in mind, we set out to rank the league's receiver rooms from worst to best: This one is fairly obvious. After moving on from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle , the Dolphins have the most barren wide receiver room in the league. There are hopes for rookies Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell , the latter of whom is coming off a major injury, but there's nothing we can count on here. The Raiders are lucky the Dolphins exist. The top options in this room are Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor , along with potentially Jack Bech and rookie Malik Benson . It's not an inspiring group. This might be too low for the Browns, but with such an unproven room, it was hard to push them any higher. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston could make this ranking look silly if they get off to fast starts to their respective careers. With Rashee Rice still looking hobbled after rehabbing his knee injury in jail and Xavier Worthy again banged up in camp, the Chiefs might be counting on training-camp star Cyrus Allen to be a real factor, rather than a mere curiosity. That's a dangerous game to play. Tennessee had arguably the worst receiver room in the NFL last season and upgraded with Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson , but the depth is still questionable. Thirty-two-year-old Calvin Ridley is looking like the No. 3, while Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike are up next. There doesn't appear to be a true game-changing talent among the group. If Alec Pierce were definitively healthy rather than merely working his way back from offseason ankle surgery -- and therefore in question for Week 1 and perhaps beyond -- the Colts would probably rank higher. He's a good player, as is Josh Downs . But the depth beyond them, even with Keenan Allen in the fold, is still questionable. The Bills brought in DJ Moore to be their No. 1 wideout this year. He took a step back last season in Chicago and is now trying to recapture the form he had a few years ago. Khalil Shakir is a slot slot/gadget option. But the room beyond those players ( Josh Palmer , Keon Coleman , Skyler Bell ) is uninspiring. If Jordyn Tyson were healthy, the Saints would definitely rank higher, especially given how good Tyson looked during training camp. As is, though, you have to knock New Orleans because outside of Chris Olave , there is nobody on the depth chart that really scares you -- even if DeVaughn Vele had a solid stretch to end last season. Malik Nabers is working his way back from a serious knee injury. He seems on his way to full health, but we obviously can't know for sure until we see him on the field. Beyond him, the depth chart looks like it's clearing out for rookie Malachi Fields , because Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney are role players and Calvin Austin III just tore up his knee. Garrett Wilson is awesome. Adonai Mitchell is somewhat tantalizing. Omar Cooper Jr . is apparently working his way up the depth chart after seeming like he may have been behind return specialist Isaiah Williams early in the preseason. If Mitchell taps into his talent and Cooper hits the ground running, the Jets could be better than expected. Terry McLaurin is a b [... truncated ...]
Browns to release Cedric Tillman as they work to bring their roster down to the 53-man limit
Deshaun Watson's performance in the Browns' preseason game was unimpressive, but rookie KC Concepcion showed promise with his playing time
Browns rookie offensive tackle Spencer Fano got into a scuffle with defensive end Jared Verse at training camp on Saturday and it earned him something much better than a reprimand from head coach Todd Monken. Monken told reporters at a Monday press conference that Fano will now be the left tackle for the starting offense. Fano was a first-round pick, so he was always ticketed for the first team but Monken cited the way he handled himself against Verse as the final push he needed to move ahead of Dawand Jones. “We were already leaning that way, and Saturday solidified it. . . . You want to see the competition part; you want to see a guy not back down,” Monken said, via a transcript from the team. “If they don’t stand up for themselves, then you’re really concerned.” Fano isn’t the only rookie who got good news on Monday. Monken said that wide receiver Denzel Boston has also been bumped up to the first team. “He’s made a bunch of plays. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it,” Monken said. “He’s made a bunch of plays. We want to move Jerry [Jeudy] around; I think Jerry is at his best when he’s on the move. He’s elite, he can separate. And I think Denzel has shown that when he’s in the boundary, and you [see] contested catches, a lot of our three-by-one stuff may go to there.” The Browns also drafted wide receiver KC Concepcion in the first round and all three rookies should wind up playing significant roles as the Browns try to put together a winner in Monken’s first season
Quinshon Judkins is expected to be the workhorse in the Cleveland Browns' offense
KC Concepcion landed hard on his right shoulder late in Monday’s practice. The Browns’ rookie wide receiver seemed fine afterward, and coach Todd Monken confirmed as much Tuesday. “He’s doing fine,” Monken said, via multiple reports. “He’s still sore.” Concepcion, though, returned to practice Tuesday. The Browns drafted Concepcion in the first round out of Texas A&M. He totaled 61 receptions for 919 yards and nine touchdowns and added two punt return touchdowns in his only season with the Aggies. In his three-year college career, which included two seasons at North Carolina State, Concepcion totaled 2,218 receiving yards, 431 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns from scrimmage
Browns rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion was injured in the 2-minute drill at the end of Monday’s practice. He appeared to injure his right shoulder after landing on the turf on a hit by Myles Harden, according to multiple reports. Concepcion stayed on the ground before walking to the sideline with athletic trainers while holding his shoulder. Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports that Concepcion didn’t go inside immediately. He remained on the field after practice and was talking to running backs Duce Staley and others, so it is unclear whether it was merely a scare. The Browns drafted Concepcion in the first round out of Texas A&M. He totaled 61 receptions for 919 yards and nine touchdowns and added two punt return touchdowns in his only season with the Aggies. In his three-year college career, which included two seasons at North Carolina State, Concepcion totaled 2,218 receiving yards, 431 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns from scrimmage
Concepcion (shoulder) was shaken up while trying to make a catch during Monday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update
Sleeper status change for KC Concepcion (13298). Before: status=Active, injury_status=—. After: status=Active, injury_status=Questionable
Cleveland Browns running backs coach Duce Staley said that RB Quinshon Judkins has "worked his ass off" to come back from his dislocated ankle and fractured fibula in Week 16 of his rookie campaign in 2025, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "The sky is the limit ... I think that Q can play all three downs," Staley added. The 22-year-old former second-rounder from Ohio State is an emerging young RB, and although his fantasy ceiling could be limited by Cleveland's offense (especially their QB situation), Judkins is becoming a more attractive RB2 candidate for fantasy managers for what could be lots of volume. In 14 starts in his first NFL season in 2025, Judkins averaged only 3.6 yards per carry to finish with 827 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries. He added 26 receptions for 171 yards on 36 targets in the passing game. Judkins' fantasy ceiling could be limited with Dylan Sampson serving as the Browns' top pass-catching back, but it's clear Judkins' arrow is pointing up. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 22 RB for 2026
The Cleveland Browns have been mostly a disappointment for the better part of the past 25 years. The franchise has made the playoffs just three times and won just one postseason game since returning to the NFL in 1999. The Browns have had 19 seasons with double-digit losses, posted just the second 0-16 season in league history, and had so many starting quarterbacks and head coaches that it can be hard to remember them at times. This season may be another rough one with a young team led by a first-time head coach and still searching for a quarterback. If the oddsmakers are correct , and they generally are, the 2026 season could bring the number of double-digit losses to an even 20. But there will be plenty of time in the fall to talk about frustrating losses, bad quarterback play, and puzzling coaching decisions. The summer is a time for optimism as training camp brings exciting new players and a renewed hope that this year it may be different. In that spirit, here are five positives from the offseason that should fill the hearts of even the grinchiest Browns fan with a little bit of happiness. The Browns needed to do something about an underperforming wide receiver room, and general manager Andrew Berry wasted no time in selecting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. The situation was the same for an aging and injured offensive line, so welcome to Cleveland, Spencer Fano, Austin Barber, and Parker Brailsford . Will all the moves pan out? The history of the NFL says probably not. But Berry recognized the need and used the draft to tackle the problem, so, for now, that is good enough to make the list. The new draft class joins running back Quinshon Judkins , defensive tackle Mason Graham , linebacker Carson Schwesinger , and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. from the productive 2025 class to give the Browns a promising foundation of young players to build on. If Concepcion, Boston and Fano are anywhere as good as those second-year players, the Browns should be set up nicely once they finally fix the quarterback situation. (Hopefully, as soon as 2027, because it won’t be this year.) The decision to trade defensive end Myles Garrett was understandable, even if it was still disappointing. But insisting that the Los Angeles Rams include Verse in the trade takes some of the sting out, as the Browns will see an immediate return this fall. Verse may not be a force multiplier like Garrett – no one in the NFL is – but adding the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a player with 99 quarterback pressures in two seasons is something that several teams would have liked to do in the offseason. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz packed up his playbook and went home after the Browns made the correct choice to bypass him for the head coaching role. In his place steps Rutenberg, who will use more zone blitzes to pressure the quarterback , and with the addition of Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, more three-safety looks to keep opposing offenses guessing. There is no debating that the Browns have the worst quarterback room in the NFL . But as bad as it will be, it could have been worse if Berry had made the mistake of bringing in an aging veteran like Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith , a reclamation project like Justin Fields or Anthony Richardson, or signing a free agent like Malik Willis . None of those players, or any of the other quarterbacks who were available for very obvious reasons, were going to help or be the long-term answer the team needs. It is going to be ugly at times; what else is new, but the Browns need to take their lumps for one more season and then approach the quarterback position in the 2027 NFL Draft. What do you say, Browns fans? Are these true positives or fool’s gold? Have your say in the comments!
Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are set to continue their competition to become Cleveland’s QB1 at training camp later this month. But before that, the two recently were down in South Florida training with some of the club’s skill players to prepare. At his youth football camp over the weekend, Sanders said that’s part of the attitude they want to put forth in the competition — they are willing to put everything aside to come together as a team. “I would say it’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1,” Sanders said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “ We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be . So we’re not going to let anything get in between of that. So it’s a level of respect that we all in the quarterback room have for each other. “And we’re not really emotional when it comes to things that we can’t control. We mainly focus on and thrive on getting better in the work every day. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask. If he likes something I do, then [he] asks. It’s conversation, and that’s what’s most effective.” Cabot noted that Cleveland’s top receivers Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston were among the attendees at the workouts in Miami. “I think it was extremely important that us as a group, for whoever was available, was available to come down to Miami,” Sanders said. “And there were a couple other players that schedules didn’t align with it, but it’s all good for those that came and stuff. It was truly amazing. And we felt a different type of bond just outside of the facility, outside of these things. “And we all vow to continue doing our part and keep it going while we’re here. Those relationships and how funny it is when you have a lot of dialogue and in different situations where a lot of your teammates is very fun and it’s exciting. You create these real memories, these real bonds, and it’s irreplaceable. So I’m truly thankful that it happened. I know everybody that came was excited and we had a great time.” Browns rookies are set to report to training camp in Northeast Ohio on July 23, with veterans reporting on July 28
The Cleveland Browns face a quarterback competition between veteran Deshaun Watson and rookie Shedeur Sanders, while their wide receiver room is also a point of interest with new additions Tylan Wallace, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston. The article also touches on past disappointing trades and previews the tight end position for training camp
Former NFL great Steve Smith praises the Browns' WR room, mentioning talent and veterans on notice
Quinshon Judkins may be undervalued in current redraft ADP due to his safe production floor and potential for increased efficiency in 2026
This article from Yahoo Sports rounds up recent news and analysis for the Cleveland Browns, covering defensive player longevity, a unique Polish festival, offensive X-factors like RB Quinshon Judkins, potential All-Pros, offensive scheme changes at tight end, rookie WR KC Concepcion's potential, and a ranking of draft picks under Andrew Berry
This article covers various Cleveland Browns news items, including an interview with legendary player Joel Bitonio about his retirement, fan anticipation for certain rookies, the training camp schedule, and the team's offseason moves and defensive scheme. It also mentions coaching hires and promotions, as well as the potential of rookie wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston
The Browns are still sorting out who their quarterback will be in Week 1, but they have a better sense of who will be catching passes from either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders . First-round pick KC Concepcion, second-round pick Denzel Boston and free agent acquisition Tylan Wallace joined Jerry Jeudy , Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond in the wide receiver group this offseason. That makes for a much deeper group than the team was working with during the 2025 season and Concepcion said on NFL Network recently that he believes it has the potential to be a potent one as well. "I think that this new wide receiver room, it can be dangerous ," Concepcion said. "Everybody complements each other. Everybody is a different receiver." Tight end Harold Fannin was the team's leader in receptions and receiving yards last season while Jeudy was the only wideout with more than 21 catches. The offseason moves show a desire to change things in 2026 and Concepcion thinks the team is on the right track
The Browns are still sorting out who their quarterback will be in Week 1, but they have a better sense of who will be catching passes from either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. First-round pick KC Concepcion, second-round pick Denzel Boston and free agent acquisition Tylan Wallace joined Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond in the wide receiver group this offseason. That makes for a much deeper group than the team was working with during the 2025 season and Concepcion said on NFL Network recently that he believes it has the potential to be a potent one as well. “I think that this new wide receiver room, it can be dangerous ,” Concepcion said. “Everybody complements each other. Everybody is a different receiver.” Tight end Harold Fannin was the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards last season while Jeudy was the only wideout with more than 21 catches. The offseason moves show a desire to change things in 2026 and Concepcion thinks the team is on the right track
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