Cowboys draft 2024: WR Ladd McConkey scouting report 

Here is our scouting report on wide receiver Ladd McConkey from Georgia

Over the past few seasons, the Georgia Bulldogs have been a powerhouse in college football, sending countless defenders to the NFL. However, their offense is deserving of recognition, too. Led by Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey last season, the Bulldogs’ offense has been explosive. While most of the fanfare is levied towards Bowers, McConkey is uniquely skilled in his own right. Here’s the rundown on Ladd McConkey.

Ladd McConkey
WR – Georgia Bulldogs
RS Junior
5 ft 11 in – 186 lbs.

At just under six feet tall, McConkey doesn’t have a big catch radius. However, he is a reliable pass catcher who rarely drops a pass on underneath patterns, evidenced by his 77% catch rate in his first two seasons at Georgia. He can jump up and get the football but is not an overly impressive leaper.

As a route runner, McConkey creates plenty of separation with outstanding quickness in and out of his breaks. Defenders routinely slip trying to keep up with his suddenness and crafty footwork at the top of the route. His best value is being utilized as a slot receiver. He has excellent acceleration at the line of scrimmage and will rip into secondaries if given a free release off the line of scrimmage. He is a quarterback-friendly safety valve that should be relied upon on third downs at the NFL level.

Although Georgia wasn’t hesitant to play him outside the numbers, it’s not ideal for McConkey. Larger cornerbacks with prototypical size can reroute him off the line. Sometimes his varied assortment of releases allows him to beat press-man coverage. Other times, he has a hard time disengaging from a stiff press. In the open field after the catch, he can make things happen. Again, his lateral quickness allows him to shake the first defender and puts pressure on the defense to rally to tackle him.

He also has upside as a punt returner, averaging 12.3 yards per return in 2022. He can run any route that’s asked of him. Running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, McConkey showcases that speed on film and hardly breaks stride on deep crossing patterns and constantly can get behind defenses, but does have drops on long targets you’d like to see resolved.

As you’d expect for someone his size, he’s a willing blocker, but that’s about it. Regarding where he fits for the Cowboys, he would likely be coming on to compete with Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and KaVontae Turpin. Turpin is in the final year of a three-year contract, and McConkey boasts similar talents and special teams upside. McConkey should be drafted somewhere between the late-second round to mid-third round.