Ladd McConkey has had a dominant start to his NFL career. The Georgia Bulldogs prospect has excelled at his new work place in the Los Angeles Chargers organization, but he hasn’t forgotten about his time in Athens. The rookie wideout had a powerful statement for Kirby Smart after a dominant game against the New Orleans Saints.
Ladd McConkey was selected with the 34th overall pick by the Chargers, the Bulldogs talent was the ninth wide receiver taken off the board. Alongside Justin Herbert, and under head coach Jim Harbaugh, McConkey has thrived early on in his career. Ladd leads the Chargers WRs in receptions, receiving yards, and TDs.
The Chargers wideout room has adopted a brand new look during this past offseason. The team shipped off Keenan Allen and left the WR1 position up for grabs. McConkey has made an early impact and has become Herbert’s most reliable target. After yet another impressive outing in the NFL, the rookie sent a strong message to his former NCAA coach Kirby Smart, and the Bulldogs program.
“I feel like it’s definitely been a transition. I’m not saying effortless, but I feel like coach Smart and everybody at Georgia kind of prepared me for this.,” McConkey said, via On3. “We practice hard at Georgia. We take game reps in practice. Now it’s just transitioning over here and just continuing that but taking it to another notch. That’s kind of what it is.”
Ladd McConkey #84 of the Georgia Bulldogs runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Florida State Seminoles during the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
So far in his rookie season McConkey tallies 30 receptions for 376 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Although it’s still early to tell, the wideouts from the 2024 Draft class has shown some great potential and many names have already become household names in the league.
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Early dominance from the rookie WRs
The NFL is under siege by a group of elite rookie talents at the wideout position. Plenty of them are already the number one receiver on their teams and have put defensive coordinators on notice.
The hype around most of these college football stars has paid off, so far. The transition to the biggest stage has been relatively smooth for them as they have put up dominant performances in their first 8 weeks in the league.
Top rookie WRs stats (after Week 8)
- Bryan Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars: 33 receptions, 573 yards and 5 TDs.
- Malik Nabers, New York Giants: 39 receptions, 427 yards, and 3 TDs.
- Marvin Harrison Jr, Arizona Cardinals: 26 receptions, 411 yards, and 5 TDs.
- Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills: 21 receptions, 396 yards, and 3 TDs.
