Ladd McConkey takes next step in special rise to stardom

ATHENS, Ga. — Ladd McConkey‘s story is one for the ages at Georgia.

A lowly recruited kid out of Northwest Georgia, McConkey became a star for the Bulldogs during his four-year career. He started out on scout team, earned a role and made the most of his opportunities. That upward trending trajectory continued on Wednesday with his impressive performance at UGA Pro Day.

“Just starting from the time we offered him to now, he’s ascended and aspired to be great,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “No one works harder than Ladd McConkey. Nobody on our team would say there’s a better teammate than Ladd McConkey. I don’t know that he’s ever said a negative word about anybody. He’s just such a good kid, such a hard person to find. He’s a great football player on top of that.”

McConkey didn’t run the 40-yard dash on Wednesday for scouts to see. He didn’t need to after an impressive time of 4.39 at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis just two weeks ago. However, McConkey did opt to do the shuttle drills and wide receiver workout for those on hand to check out his speed, agility and catching ability.

“It was just another opportunity to put on in front of all these people, coaches, GMs, scouts,” McConkey said after his workout. “Overall, I thought it was a good day. I thought all of our guys came out here and competed which y’all probably didn’t expect anything less. It was a good time, and I thought we all did well.”

McConkey has moved up draft boards since the start of the process. It’s nothing new for the Chatsworth, Ga. native who once was just fighting to get a scholarship at his home-state school. After proving himself at the collegiate level by catching 119 passes for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns over the past three seasons combined, McConkey opened a lot of eyes to his NFL potential at the Senior Bowl in February.

Now, McConkey is a household name when it comes to NFL Draft discusses with many seeing him as a potential first round pick. It’s a deep wide receiver class, and he’s a player that fits certain schemes better than others. However, the door is absolutely open for McConkey to be off the board by the end of day one in Detroit.

What is it that McConkey does so well? Few have had a better chance to see that than his head coach of the last four years. While McConkey’s played for multiple offensive coordinators and position coaches, Smart’s been able to watch as he grew into the player he’s become.

“In and out of breaks, his ability to separate is probably one of his key things,” Smart said when asked what’s different about McConkey. “In the NFL, there’s less touching. You’re able to run routes. That’s going to be advantageous for Ladd. He can come in and out of breaks. I think when they watch him on third down, he’s pretty elite on third down at getting open. That keeps the chains moving.”

“I think I’m a guy that can kind of play anywhere and get the job done at all positions,” McConkey said when asked the same question. “I feel like I’m a great route runner, can kind of find that hole if they’re running zone. Really just a guy that teams can move all around the field and play every down and get the job done.”

Smart said he saw a chip on McConkey’s shoulder coming out of high school, and that’s something that’s stayed with him to this day. There was a desire for him to prove everybody wrong, needing just one team to bet on him. As he’s off to the NFL, the same is true.

“Everybody’s always like, ‘Where do you want to go? Where do you think you’ll go.’ I have no idea. Whoever picks me, it’s kind of out of my control,” McConkey said. “It’s up to them now, but I’m going to keep doing all I can and hopefully it pays off … I’m not there yet, but this was another step in the journey.

“I’m somebody who’s going to give them all they’ve got,” he added. “Whether it’s on the field, off the field, whatever I’ve got to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”