Patriots Suddenly In Danger Of Losing Draft Target To AFC East Rival originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots have the 31st pick in the NFL Draft, and their AFC East rivals will have five opportunities to pick before them.
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The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets each have two picks in the first round and the Buffalo Bills have one selection. That’s five opportunities for the Patriots to lose a player they are targeting to a division rival on Day 1 of the draft. Well, a player the Patriots have had on a Top 30 visit, KC Concepcion of Texas A&M, is visiting the Dolphins on Thursday, per Ian Rapoport.
Concepcion has also reportedly visited with the Bills, who have a desperate need at wide receiver. However, the Dolphins have two selections in the first round, and just lost Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They also just signed Malik Willis, and will want to add a weapon he can rely on in the passing game.
Concepcion has been a common name linked to the Patriots in mock drafts. However, the Dolphins have a desperate need at the position and have the picks to make drafting him a reality. They have enough ammo to move up past the Bills as well to land him late in the second half of the first round.
Concepcion is a versatile playmaker who has done nothing but produce at the college level. He had 919 receiving yards and was a Consensus All-American last season. He had nine receiving touchdowns, tied for the SEC lead with the University of Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II. He had 2,218 yards and 25 receiving touchdowns in his college career. As a freshman at North Carolina State, he had 839 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Concepcion also has three career rushing touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns.
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He would be a great fit for the Patriots, who lost Stefon Diggs this offseason. Signing Romeo Doubs will help cover that loss, but Diggs was a 1,000-yard receiver, and it may take more than one player to actually replace his production.
The Patriots clearly like Concepcion enough to host him on a Top 30 visit. However, now two of their rivals are also showing serious interest, and both pick before the Patriots on Day 1. The Patriots do have 11 picks to work with if they want to make a trade and move up to draft him.
It’s unlikely the Dolphins will select him at No. 11, but the Patriots could be able to shoot past both the Dolphins, who also pick at No. 30, and the Bills, who pick at No. 26.
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