23d ago football Edit

Ladd McConkey selected by Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL Draft

Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) during Georgia’s game against Florida State in the 90th Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Jed May • UGASports

Staff

Ladd McConkey's journey is continuing to the NFL.

The Los Angeles Chargers have selected the former Georgia receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. McConkey is the 34th overall selection and the second pick of the second round.

McConkey arrived in Athens as an under-the-radar signee in the Class of 2020. He spent that first season in Athens working on Georgia's scout team.

Over the next two years, however, McConkey became a key cog in Georgia's two national championship teams. He amassed 89 catches for 1,209 yards and 12 touchdowns over those two campaigns.

"Those two national championships were pretty good," McConkey said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine. "With team success come individual accolades, but those natties are something they’ll never be able to take away from us."

Injuries limited McConkey to just nine games in 2023. But he still racked up 30 receptions for 478 yards and two touchdowns.

Since the end of the season, McConkey has flown up NFL draft boards. Strong performances at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine helped him prove his worth to NFL scouts and general managers.

"I think they’re starting to see that (versatility) more now, really diving into my film and what I was able to do at the Senior Bowl, stuff like that," McConkey said at the Combine. "I think they can see, okay, this guy can play inside, he can play outside. I think I’m a prototypical slot guy, but I think once I get up there and show them what I can do and how I can play, and they just really kind of watch my film this year, I feel like they’ll see that I’m able to win outside and I’m able to win inside."

McConkey is far from the first receiver to hear his name called in this year's draft. But he's eager to prove he can hold his own with anybody at the position.

"I really think that when it comes to competing, I’m going to outcompete you. I’m going to outwork you," McConkey said at the Combine. "I think I can run routes, I can run them outside, inside, play special teams. I think I’m very versatile and can do a little bit of everything. I don’t know, obviously the guys in this draft class are ridiculous. We’ve got some great receivers. But when it comes to doing a little bit of everything, I think I stand up there with all of them."