Ladd McConkey drawing early love from NFL evaluator
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey probably doesn’t look like one of the best players on a two-time defending national champion’s roster. He’s barely 6-feet tall and just 185 pounds. Don’t fall for it though because this Bulldog is one of the top pass catchers in the country and could hear his name called in next year’s NFL Draft.
“This guy, (Georgia Football) WR Ladd McConkey, generated good discussion among group of former NFL players during tape study session at Day 1 of Senior Bowl Scout School yesterday,” Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, said in a tweet shared Tuesday morning. “We predict he’s far more talented than many people will give him credit for in early stages of pre-draft process—perhaps until they see him up-close in Mobile.”
“Plenty to like on junior tape,” Nagy continued. “High-4.3/low-4.4 play speed, can accelerate & decelerate, gets deep, creates after catch, outside/inside position flex, sturdy, highly competitive blocker, legit next-level PR skills. If (Ladd McConkey) cleans up some untimely drops, he’ll have a chance to ascend to Top-100 prospect by next April.”
McConkey started 14 of 15 games for Georgia last season, finishing second on the team in receptions and yards with 58 catches for 762 receiving yards. He turned that into seven touchdowns.
A native of Chatsworth, Ga., McConkey also served as the punter returner for the Bulldogs and occasionally carried the ball, racking up 134 yards and two touchdowns on seven attempts.
In Georgia’s season-opening win over Oregon in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, McConkey put up a pair of touchdowns with five catches for 73 yards and two rushes for 16 yards. He followed that up just a few weeks later at South Carolina with four catches for 52 yards and six catches for 65 yards the next outing against Kent State.
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McConkey went through his own struggles, as Nagy mentioned. Untimely drops and a couple of fumbles saw McConkey enter a mid-season slump. However, he emerged from it in a big way with touchdowns in three straight games – Georgia wins over Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi State.
McConkey went for over 50 yards receiving in each of those three contest including a season-high 94 in the victory over the then-No. 1-ranked Volunteers. The next week, McConkey had 141 total yards with a 70-yard rushing score at 71 yards on five catches at Mississippi State.
McConkey was a machine once postseason play began. He had a touchdown and 69 yards on five catches against LSU, injuring his knee in the SEC Championship Game. Largely limited against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals, McConkey came back in the National Championship Game with two touchdowns and 88 yards receiving on five catches, plus another 14 on one carry.
McConkey, having redshirted without playing at all his first season on campus before going for 447 yards and five touchdowns on 31 catches in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, ultimately passed on an opportunity to go pro after the 2022 season and returns to Athens for 2023. He’s considered by Pro Football Focus and others one of the top returning receivers in the country, and was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second-Team by Athlon Sports.
