The NFL Draft heads to Pittsburgh this week. There’s a chance that a familiar face to college football fans in North Carolina will be arriving at his new home.
KC Concepcion is expected to be taken in the first round, and, as the fourth-rated wide receiver in the 2026 draft class, it’s possible he’ll be taken by the hometown Steelers. CBS Sports mocked the A&M playmaker to Pittsburgh in its most recent simulation.
Concepcion, who started his college career at NC State and eventually developed into one of the country’s top pass catchers, has been slotted in the 20s in most first-round simulations, although draft week rumors have him falling, perhaps out of the first round, as other receivers rise up draft boards.
Regardless of his landing spot, odds are extremely good that Concepcion will be the first player with North Carolina connections to hear his name called.
The second area player taken is another former Wolfpack player. Cornerback Brandon Cisse, who finished his college days at South Carolina, is expected to go in the second round, although a handful of mocks, including USA Today and Fox Sports, have him climbing into the bottom of the first round.
Duke could supply the next familiar face to go off the board. Center Brian Parker II is a projected fourth rounder, although his draft rating projects him as an eventual NFL starter.
Also projected as fourth rounders and possible starters are NC State’s Justin Joly—the top performing tight end at Senior Bowl week, Duke corner Chandler Rivers, who also raised eyebrows at the Senior Bowl practices, and former Gardner-Webb offensive tackle Travis Burke, who developed into an NFL prospect after transferring to FIU and then Memphis.
The fifth round is crowded with potential North Carolina draftees. Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne could find himself landing there. So could offensive tackle Kaegen Trost, who spent a year of his seven-season, four-school college career at Wake. Ole Miss offensive tackle Diego Pounds, who played for Raleigh’s Millbrook High and started his college journey at UNC is slotted as a fifth-rounder, as is Goldsboro native and Eastern Wayne product Nick Barrett, a defensive tackle at South Carolina.
Then we reach the NFL Draft’s bubble. Players mocked for the sixth or seventh round frequently find themselves looking to catch on as an undrafted free agent, while players not expected to get selected clicked with the right team in the pre-draft process and find a front office and coach willing to take a flier on them.
The projected sixth rounders who saw their football path take them through North Carolina include Southern Cal safety Bishop Fitzgerald, who played for NC State after starting his career in junior college, Duke edge rusher Wesley Williams, UNC cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, and former West Mecklenburg and NC Central running back J’Mari Taylor, who finished his college career at UVA.
Duke edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. is slotted for the seventh round, as is NC State defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland, despite having an NFL Draft prospect rating higher than some projected fifth rounders.
There are some recognizable names currently expected to be available as undrafted free agents, including UNC corner Marcus Allen, NC State pass rusher Cian Slone. Duke defensive tackle Aaron Hall and former Blue Devil DT Gary Smith III, more recently of UCLA, UNC guard Daniel King, Wake offensive tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe and defensive tackle Jayden Loving could all be sweating out the final picks of the last day of the draft, as could former App State quarterback Joey Aguilar, more recently of Tennessee.
