Eddie Vedder said:
KC is not necessarily going to the 2026 draft.
Concepcion is getting multiple late first round projections. He's quite polished, and has very little athletic upside. Those kind of guys are taking massive risks coming back to school, particularly when they just had an all American season.
Now, NIL has certainly changed that calculation, but typically only for guys with significant higher pick upside and sometimes because they want to chase a championship (eg Egbuka). I doubt A&M is a legit title contender next year, and Concepcion is unlikely to improve his stock on a squad losing their all conference caliber RB and nearly every offensive lineman.
Additionally, this is an iffy WR class. Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Chris Brazzell, Jordan Tyso, etc are good players, but they aren't comparable, as a group, with the talent and depth of 2027, ie Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams, Cam Coleman, Nick Marsh, Ryan Wingo, etc. The financial risks for a guy like Concepcion are immense.