Dynasty Outlook
April 17
Ladd McConkey is our WR11 for rookie drafts and checks in as WR53 in our overall dynasty ranks. This is someone the NFL definitely likes a lot more than the analytics do. His stat-based comps are awful, and McConkey played four college seasons without a breakout. With that said, it was not the best environment for production. We have to give credit to the scouts, who view him well enough to be a likely top-50 pick. We will likely be lower on McConkey than a pure “tape evaluation” would be, but we think our current position is measured between the film and data.
Profile Summary
McConkey is highly athletic, but lacks quality college production. He is also slightly undersized, which could lead to some injuries. McConkey was banged up for all of 2022, and missed five games in 2023. Despite his size, he did play the majority of his snaps outside while at Georgia, which gives him a better chance of finding the field at the next level. He is not someone who will have to be pigeonholed into the slot.
Vitals
Age (as of 12/31/23) — 22.2
Experience — 4 years
Height — 71.625 inches
Weight — 186 pounds
Hand — 8.63 inches
Arm — 30.25 inches
Forty — 4.39 seconds
Vert — 36 inches
Broad — 124 inches
Shuttle — 3.97 seconds (Pro Day)
Cone — 6.72 seconds (Pro Day)
By the Numbers
McConkey was a three-sport high school athlete who played QB as a senior. He redshirted in 2020, while fellow true freshman Jermaine Burton was the team’s third-leading receiver behind Kearis Jackson and George Pickens.
In 2021, the Georgia receiving group was arguably even better, adding Brock Bowers and Adonai Mitchell. McConkey managed to play a major role, coming in as the third-leading receiver as part of a national title run. His role increased in 2022 with Pickens and Burton gone. As a redshirt junior, McConkey missed five games, but he saw a slight uptick in efficiency.
McConkey has some rushing and return production on his résumé. He ran for 13/216/4 with 22 total punt and kick returns. The versatility puts him in esteemed company despite the lack of raw production. Here are Day 1 and Day 2 WRs since 2005 with at least 15 punt returns, 12 yards per return, 150 rushing yards, and 1,000 receiving yards:
Jalen Reagor
Tyler Lockett
Keenan Allen
Tavon Austin
T.Y. Hilton
Jerrel Jernigan
Jordan Shipley
Jeremy Maclin
DeSean Jackson
Ted Ginn Jr.
Willie Reid
Roscoe Parrish
There are certainly some busts on this list, but some quality WRs as well.
What the Scouts are Saying
Lance Zierlein compared McConkey to Elijah Moore:
If pass rushers have rush plans, McConkey has route plans that allow him to uncover on all three levels. His pace and rhythm make cornerbacks more reactive than proactive. He has the footwork and body control to snap off crisp breaks and open windows for his quarterback. He can manipulate coverage with an advanced feel for leverage and has enough top-end speed to get past cornerbacks who are non-believers. He might not be sudden enough to beat press and will need to prove he has enough play strength to finish contested catches against tight man. McConkey’s 2023 injuries might have slowed the draft conversation about him, but his route polish, athleticism, and ability to uncover over the first two levels could make him a productive slot receiver as a Day 2 pickup.
Daniel Jeremiah said McConkey reminded him of Doug Baldwin:
McConkey is a slightly undersized receiver with excellent speed, quickness, and polish. He lines up both outside and in the slot. He is quick off the line, and he understands how to attack the leverage of his man. He changes speed throughout the route and is efficient getting into and out of breaks. He will utilize head nods to sell routes and create separation. He has an excellent feel to settle in space versus zone coverage. He has strong hands to pluck balls thrown away from his frame, and he is quick to transition up the field. After the catch, he relies on his quickness to make defenders miss. Overall, McConkey isn’t quite as physical as former Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, but I see a lot of similarities in their route running and instincts. I could see McConkey having a similar career.
Dane Brugler noted McConkey’s lack of length:
A tough player to cover one-on-one, McConkey tempos his long speed to get on the toes of cornerbacks, then snaps the break point with his short-area quickness. Although his lack of length hurts his catch radius, he plays with competitive ball skills and doesn’t force the quarterback to be perfect with placement.
Because of injuries, McConkey played in only nine games (one start) in 2023, but he made a noticeable impact when he was on the field.
Draft Projection
McConkey has an expected draft position of 34.1 at Grinding the Mocks, which sources mock drafts around the interwebs. Mock Draft Database is a similar service that has McConkey 33rd overall. Brugler’s 7-round mock had him going 33rd, and a combo mock with Mel Kiper and Field Yates had McConkey 39th. He seems likely to come off the board at the tail end of Round 1 or early Round 2.
Comparable Players
I use Principal Component Analysis to evaluate prospects. In simplest terms, this kind of analysis looks at relevant data points to find the closest comparable players in past drafts. I prefer this to a model output — which yields only a single result — as it can display the possible range of outcomes for a prospect.
Note that the analysis itself isn’t telling us how good a player is; it is simply returning the most similar players. It is then up to us to layer in context and past results to see how good we think this player may be.
The comps here are quite bad. As with all Georgia receivers, the modeling doesn’t know that McConkey had both stiff competition and a rough offense for pass catchers, but with that said — it’s a rough crowd. Mark Clayton is the only player with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Eddie Royal and Diontae Johnson have enjoyed limited success. The rest of this group are busts.
