The Los Angeles Chargers selected Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey with the No. 34 pick in Friday’s second round of the NFL Draft.
The 5-foot-11, 186-pound prospect redshirted in 2020 before spending three seasons as a starter for the Bulldogs. He missed five games with back and ankle injuries in 2023 but still averaged 15.9 yards per reception in his final season at Georgia.
His best statistical season came in 2022 when he caught 58 passes for 762 yards and seven touchdowns.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
McConkey ranked No. 31 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Although his lack of length and smaller hands hurt his catch radius, he plays with competitive ball skills and doesn’t force the quarterback to be perfect with placement. Overall, McConkey’s size and vulnerability to injuries aren’t ideal, but he is a sudden, skilled route runner and uses synchronized shake to tie defensive backs in knots. He is a quarterback-friendly target with the inside-outside versatility to be a quality No. 2 option for an NFL offense.”
Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about McConkey in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“He’s more of a pure slot, but damn, he is fast and sudden. In a different offense, or if (Georgia) didn’t have (Brock) Bowers, he probably would’ve put up big numbers.”
Why he’s a second-round pick
McConkey won the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors a player “who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement” in 2023. Injuries limited him during his final year at Georgia, but he began the season on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl and tested well at the NFL combine, running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash.
CB Deantre Prince has draftable grades from scouts and this was the only catch he allowed last night. But WR Ladd McConkey put him through hell on the play.
Stop sleeping on McConkey. https://t.co/nBcNATdWU1
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 12, 2023
Nick Baumgardner grades the pick
Arguably the most QB-friendly WR in the draft, McConkey is all speed and precision with reliable hands and wiggle after the catch. He’s versatile enough to play multiple spots, he’ll block — McConkey was a first-round WR in my book. Justin Herbert’s new best friend.
Grade: A
Ted Nguyen’s assessment
McConkey is an excellent route runner who is better against press coverage than people give him credit for. He’s so efficient out of his breaks. He’s a legitimate deep threat. His 4.3 speed shows up on film. He’s not just exclusively a slot receiver. He can play outside for the Chargers. He’s exceptional after the catch, and Georgia drew up a lot of plays to get the ball in his hands. He’s at least a very good number two receiver and he’s going to be very productive. Excellent pick for the Chargers, and he’s going to make Herbert very happy.
How he fits
The Chargers were quite thin at receiver after moving on from their top two receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, this offseason. Williams was released. Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears. The Chargers needed both top-end talent and depth in that room. They opted to pass on a receiver at No. 5, with both LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze on the board. In Round 2, coach Jim Harbaugh and general Joe Hortiz got aggressive, trading up with the Patriots to get McConkey. There is some injury concern here. Namely, McConkey missed four games last season with a back injury. Still, he is a polished route-runner who will immediately elevate a room that was lacking in numbers and juice.
Rookie impact
McConkey has a pathway to a No. 2 receiver role right away. He is lacking some size at 5 feet 11, 186 pounds, but he still played more than 70 percent of his snaps on the outside at Georgia. He will bring flexibility to the Chargers’ passing offense, with the ability to play both outside and in the slot. McConkey has long speed, running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine. His skill set is a complementary fit with both Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnson.
Depth-chart impact
Before drafting McConkey, the Chargers only had four receivers on the roster: Palmer, Johnston, Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko. The Chargers now have a top-three of Palmer, McConkey and Johnston. There is synergy in this group. Palmer has inside-outside flexibility, as well, and he and McConkey should be relatively interchangeable pieces. Palmer is a bigger body and can win in contested catch situations. McConkey has more speed to stretch the field. Johnston should play mostly on the outside. While it does not feel like a completed group, the addition of McConkey moves the Chargers much closer to that goal.
They also could have picked ….
There were some intriguing defensive pieces available at No. 34, particularly at interior defensive line, cornerback and linebacker. Those are two pressing positions of need for the Chargers. Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton, Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil, Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan linebacker Junior Colson were options. They had two centers on the board in Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Acquiring pass-catchers for Herbert is always good business, especially with how shallow the receiver room was entering the draft.
Fast evaluation
With McConkey, there are some concerns with his size and his injury history. Will his body hold up? That’s the big question. From strictly an ability standpoint, the pick makes a ton of sense. This sentence from The Beast really stood out: “NFL scouts say he was the ‘confidence booster’ for the Georgia offense, because of the way the quarterbacks trusted him.” McConkey should become a quick favorite of quarterback Justin Herbert because of his refinement, route deception and feel for leverages — as long as he can stay on the field.
(Photo: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
