Ladd McConkey getting first-round love from Mel Kiper

ESPN’s Field Yates released his first mock draft for 2024 last week, and had three Georgia players going in the top 32 picks. Brock Bowers comes off the board to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 16 before back-to-back Bulldogs at 30 and 31 with Kamari Lassiter to the Baltimore Ravens and Amarius Mims to the San Francisco 49ers. Yates was joined by Mel Kiper Jr. to discuss the mock draft on a recent episode of the First Draft podcast, and it was one UGA player that didn’t make the cut that had Kiper most interested. That would be wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

Yates had Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) to the Buffalo Bills at No. 28 as the fourth receiver. He ranks Keon Coleman of Florida State as his fifth receiver, yet went with Adonai Mitchell (Texas) – of course, a transfer from Georgia – to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 32 as his projection. Kiper countered with McConkey as an option above both.

“Ladd McConkey can fly. Ladd McConkey catches everything. Ladd McConkey is plug and play. … I think Ladd finds a way in there [first-round],” Kiper said. “McShay always called it a Kiper stunt, but I don’t think Ladd McConkey in the first-round is a stunt. I really don’t. It’s real. If you watch (Brock) Bowers and McConkey, how can you not love them? They were such an integral part of a team that won two national titles and this year, lost to Alabama when they were all banged up.”

This isn’t the first bit of first round love that McConkey has gotten. In fact, it’s Kiper’s old partner – and a name he dropped on the podcast with Yates – Todd McShay that gave him some of that love. Yates also had a projection coming out of the Senior Bowl that McConkey would get first-round buzz after the week in Mobile, and sure enough, that’s come true.

McConkey’s Georgia Career

McConkey redshirted and was a member of the scout team in his first season at Georgia. Come 2021 though, he was making an impact. McConkey played in all 15 games, starting seven, and finished second on the team in catches with 31 for 447 yards and five touchdowns. His team-high five grabs and 135 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown, helped the Bulldogs to a road win over a ranked Auburn squad and earned McConkey SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Just a couple of weeks prior, he had both a rushing and a receiving score versus Vanderbilt.

McConkey once again finished second on the team in receiving in 2022, this time with an even bigger role for the Bulldogs. He hauled in 58 passes for 762 yards and a team-high tying seven receiving scores. He also rushed for two touchdowns. In the 2023 National Championship Game win over TCU, McConkey caught five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bulldogs to the largest victory in College Football Playoff history as they beat the Horned Frogs 65-7.

McConkey made the decision to return to Georgia for another year after his strong 2022 campaign, and while there were times he was incredibly impactful, injuries largely derailed things in 2023. McConkey missed the first four games of the season due to a back injury. He was eased back into the lineup and began playing his best football after the bye – putting up a career-high 135 yards receiving against Florida and a career-high seven receptions (95 yards) versus Missouri. However, on Senior Night against Ole Miss, McConkey “tweaked” his ankle late in the game. He played just six snaps the next week versus Tennessee, did not dress for the regular season finale at Georgia Tech and was visibly playing through pain in the SEC Championship against Alabama. McConkey finished the season having played in just eight games and hauling in 29 passes for 456 yards and two touchdowns.

Over the course of his career, McConkey earned spots on the Freshman All-SEC Team (2021) and All-SEC Second-Team (2022) on the field while being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and a finalist for both the William V. Campbell and Wuerffel trophies for his efforts in the community and in the classroom.

McConkey is one of 11 Georgia players that will be at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Other Bulldogs include the following: running backs Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, tight end Brock Bowers, offensive linemen Amarius Mims and Sedrick Van Pran, defensive lineman Zion Logue and defensive backs Javon Bullard, Kamari Lassiter and Tykee Smith.

As Kiper and company pointed out, the 40-yard dash time is one to watch for McConkey with a time in the 4.3 range being thrown out as a possibility by he and Yates.