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Ladd McConkey impresses on opening day of Senior Bowl practice

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•01/30/24•

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Ladd McConkey
Oct 28, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) in the in the second half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Ladd McConkey had himself an impressive first day of practice at the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Tuesday. The Georgia wide receiver displayed a skillset of speed and shiftiness in one on one drills – and he caught the eye of at least one NFL head coach in the process.

Below are a couple of clips that can be found on social media from McConkey’s showing in Mobile…

Pinpointing a draft position for McConkey has been tough, but the fact that he’s impressing already in Mobile certainly bodes well for him as the process continues. ESPN’s Field Yates actually identified McConkey as one of the potential top players at this week’s Senior Bowl ahead of time and made a bold prediction.

“We will leave the week talking very seriously about McConkey as a Round 1 prospect,” Yates wrote. “The former Georgia standout is so sudden and a route running fiend, and he bounced back impressively from a back injury early in the 2023 season. The wide receiver class is loaded, but don’t overlook McConkey as a top-32 player in the class.”

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.

Dawgs at the Senior Bowl

McConkey is one of six Georgia players that’ll participate in practice and the game this week. Offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran had originally accepted an invite but has since backed out, leaving running back Daijun Edwards, wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, long snapper William Mote and defensive backs Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith as the Bulldog representatives.

RELATED: Javon Bullard identified as one to watch this week at Senior Bowl

Kickoff time for Saturday’s game – the 75th annual NFL Draft showcase – is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on the NFL Network while practices can be seen throughout the week on NFL Network and ESPN.

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