Tag: ladd mcconkey

Joe Hortiz speaks on adding wide receiver depth in draft: ‘I feel like we got deeper there’

The Chargers added three wide receivers during the draft.

The 2024 NFL draft concluded with the Chargers adding three wide receivers, starting with Ladd McConkey in the second round and Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh round.

McConkey finished his college career at Georgia with 119 catches, 1,687 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He was also useful as a runner, as he ran for 216 yards and four scores.

Rice is the son of 49er Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who holds the NFL all-time records in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Needless to say, football is in his DNA and it showed at USC when he led the Trojans with 12 touchdowns. 

Johnson was one of Harbaugh’s players at Michigan. In 2023, he was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honoree, producing 47 catches for 604 yards and a touchdown.

The wide receiver position had one of the biggest question marks before the draft, especially since Los Angeles lost veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. 

“I mean, we drafted three, so I definitely feel like we got a lot deeper there,” Hortiz said. “I’ve talked about depth for our team from the beginning, that’s one of the goals. I feel like we got deeper there.”

The rookie pass catchers will now join a room that includes Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko.

“I think the group that exists is going to go out and compete and challenge each other and try to win for the Chargers,” Hortiz said. “If we feel like we can add a player to any group on this team that helps us do those things, we’re going to add them. It doesn’t matter the position.”

Watch Ladd McConkey’s NFL draft call with the Los Angeles Chargers

Watch UGA football wide receiver Ladd McConkey’s epic NFL draft call with Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. The Chargers traded up to the No. 34 slot in the draft to pick the speedy Georgia receiver.

McConkey impressed NFL teams throughout the draft process and will have an opportunity to be the Chargers’ top pass catcher as a rookie. Los Angeles has a thin wide receivers room and needs help.

McConkey should have a massive rookie season. Alex Katson of Chargers Wire writes that McConkey has a lot of potential in year one with Los Angeles.

The upside here is that McConkey will be a more direct replacement for the traded Keenan Allen as an underneath player who wins with route-running savvy. We know Justin Herbert likes those kinds of players: all Allen did last season was set the franchise record for receptions in a single season.

Before we get carried away with analysis on Ladd McConkey, let’s take a look at the moment he discovered the Chargers were drafting him.

McConkey watched the NFL draft with family and friends and did not have to wait long to hear his name called on Day Two. It’s always fun to see how players react when they get the call on draft day.

Pro player comparisons for Chargers’ top draft picks

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Comparing draft prospects to NFL players, both former and current, is an annual tradition.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have the same kind of success at this level. Yet, the comparisons are made based on how similar the prospects’ game play, physical measurements, production, roles and traits are.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Farrar compared Joe Alt to Lions’ Taylor Decker.

There aren’t a lot of wildly successful NFL offensive tackles over 6-foot-8, and Alt stands in at 6′ 8⅝” and 328 pounds. He’ll have to make sure he keeps his leverage together — if so, he can be a dominant pass- and run-blocker. Decker, selected by the Detroit Lions with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State, has some of the same issues at 6-foot-7, but can be a plus factor on the left side.

Like Decker, Alt is rare in size for the position, which can lead to leverage issues and overextending against bull rushers at times. This may occur at the next level. But while he works through it, Alt will mitigate it with sound technique with quick hands, feet, and body control.

The next player Farrar mentioned was Ladd McConkey, who drew the comparison to Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown.

McConkey might be the best route-runner in this class, and since he’s white, he’s been compared to everyone from Cooper Kupp to Julian Edelman. Those comps are easy to make, but when I studied McConkey’s tape, I was reminded of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has become the Detroit Lions’ volume target since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC. Like St. Brown, McConkey has the potential to be an NFL team’s No. 1 receiver despite the fact that he doesn’t resemble one from a size/speed perspective. What both players have is a seamless ability to get open all over the field, and the tenaciousness to win contested balls that other, bigger receivers might struggle to catch.

I agree with Farrar with this comparison. While McConkey is faster, both players are refined route runners to make life difficult for defensive backs and consistently get open coupled with having the physicality and ball skills to catch anything thrown their way.

A player not mentioned in Farrar’s list, but who I have a good comparison is Junior Colson to Chiefs’ Willie Gay.

Both Colson and Gay are great-sized linebackers with easy movers in the open field to make a lot of plays against the run. They also have the range to drop into coverage and the strength and agility to thrive as blitzers.

Joe Hortiz reflects on first draft as Chargers general manager: ‘I really believe we made our team better’

Joe Hortiz completed his first draft as Chargers general manager and it’s safe to say it was a major success.

Joe Hortiz completed his first draft as the Chargers general manager and it’s safe to say it was a major success. 

Los Angeles stuck with their No. 5 first overall pick and snagged the best offensive tackle in Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. Additionally, the team added two players, Ladd McConkey and Junior Colson, on Day 2. On Day 3, six more players were selected, adding depth for now and the roster’s future. 

“The opportunity to take the players we took, each time we were just excited to take every one of them,” Hortiz added. “I really believe we made our team better.”

According to Hortiz, the third day of the draft was arguably the most crucial, adding that championship teams are expected to elevate their rosters in rounds four through seven. 

“That’s where the scouts and coaches really do their work,” Hortiz said. “Everyone has their mock drafts on the first and second and third rounds. And honestly, you could pick 36 or 37 players on Day 1 and you’ll get 32 of them right.

“But Day 3 is when the information is not as readily available and that’s where you trust your scouts,” Hortiz added. “Our scouts did a great job knowing the players and identifying the ones that can help us.”

The draft class included nine players at six different position groups. 

“These players fit the Chargers profile, and we really believe all nine of these guys do,” Hortiz said. “You want high-character players, you want highly competitive players, passionate players, intelligent, durable, tough. Guys that care about each other. And I can really say that about every one of them.

“We had the blue star that we brought with us here … we drafted three of them, “Hortiz continued. “We don’t got a bunch of them, each scout gets one. They put it on a guy and we were able to take three of them.

“Frankly, all nine of these players can be blue star-type players, but we’re limited in the number we can give out so you pick one, put it on,” Hortiz added. “That’s a real positive thing for us.”

Following the draft, the Chargers’ roster is in much better standing. They addressed the positions of need that we highlighted ahead of the event with players who mostly ranked higher or aligned with the consensus big board.

Poll: What grade do you give Chargers’ 2024 draft class?

We want to know what you thought of the Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh’s draft haul.

The 2024 NFL draft is officially in the rearview.

The Chargers kicked off the draft by finding their starting right tackle in Joe Alt.

On Day 2, general manager Joe Hortiz brought in wide receiver Ladd McConkey and linebacker Junior Colson.

On the final day, Los Angeles defensive tackle Justin Egboigbe, cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, running back Kimani Vidal and wide receivers Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson.

That said, we want to know what you thought of the Bolts’ draft class. Did you like the picks that L.A. made?

Vote in the poll below.

2024 NFL draft: Grading Chargers’ Day 2 picks

The Chargers nailed the second day of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Chargers arrived at Day 2 with questions about how they would fill some of their more immediate needs on the roster after using the first-round pick on Joe Alt. Wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback, defensive tackle and running back stood out as a few of the key positions that could be addressed at some point.

First, Los Angeles decided to trade up with the Patriots for Ladd McConkey out of Georgia. The Chargers stuck pretty closely to the value on the consensus board here, and the best player available outside of Adonai Mitchell fell due to some medicals. Cooper DeJean notably was the highest-graded player available, but that also could be a situation where the Chargers view him as a safety instead of a cornerback.

The trade-up was pretty good value for LA. They essentially swapped fourth and fifth-rounders to move up three spots without giving up capital. Moving up while keeping all nine of his selections (and future picks) is a pretty good move for Joe Hortiz in and of itself.

McConkey is a natural pick for an offense that just lost its’ best route-running technician. On his reception perception profile, you’ll see a lot of routes in green:

McConkey also tested really well at the combine with a 4.39 40 time. That shows up on his film as well with plenty of plays generating yards after the catch. He also had a lower drop rate than even Marvin Harrison Jr. last year as an incredibly efficient player himself.

There will be questions about McConkey’s size, but they’re probably a little overstated. He obviously is not going to be a great contested catch threat at any point in his career, but with the way the board was breaking on day two, which other receiver would’ve been?

After the Keenan Allen trade, the Chargers’ receiver room was dying for some route-running finesse and McConkey addressed it big time.

In round three, the Chargers got one of “Jim Harbaugh’s boys” as it was said on the broadcast with Junior Colson. Colson was the best coverage linebacker of this draft and maybe one of two linebackers who could be an impact starter immediately. Some analysts had him a sneaky candidate for a round one or early round two selection. LA snagging him at pick 69 value-wise was pretty solid relative to the consensus boards.

I’ve written about it before whenever I took Colson in mock drafts this year, but it just made too much sense. The Chargers are getting a cerebral player very familiar with Jesse Minter’s defensive scheme. While Derwin James has been mentioned as a green dot signal caller candidate, Colson also profiles as a guy who could potentially take that responsibility.

In addition to coverage skills, Colson also graded out as PFF’s best pass-rushing linebacker of the class. He’s a very solid tackler, too, with a career miss rate in college of around six percent. In 2023, he was below five percent missed tackle %.

Ultimately, the Chargers stuck pretty close to consensus value and got two athletic immediate impact players at key positions. Hard to hate on it, especially after not losing much value in trading up for McConkey.

Day 2 grade: A-

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ selection of Ladd McConkey

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when Ladd McConkey was announced as the newest member of the Chargers.

The Chargers finally addressed the wide receiver position with the pick of Ladd McConkey in the second round.

McConkey should quickly become Justin Herbert’s best friend. He is a sure-fire separator with silky smooth route-running skills and great speed.

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when McConkey was announced as the newest member of the Bolts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 NFL draft: Watch highlights of new Chargers WR Ladd McConkey

Get familiar with the newest member of the Chargers, Ladd McConkey.

The Chargers improved the wide receiver room with the selection of Ladd McConkey at No. 34 overall.

There were questions about when Los Angeles would address the position after taking Joe Alt in the first round. They answered them by moving up three spots to get McConkey, arguably the best route runner in this class.

To get familiar with the newest member of the Bolts, here are some highlights of McConkey:

 

Chargers NFL Draft grade: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia 34th overall

Chargers NFL Draft grade: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia 34th overall

The Chargers move up into the second round of the 2024 NFL draft to help out their diminished receiving room by selecting an electric difference maker in Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

McConkey projects to be an immediate starter as the slot receiver for a Chargers team that saw its two previous starters depart this offseason. With Joshua Palmer and last year’s first-round pick Quentin Johnston set to play along the boundary, McConkey will help bring some electricity to the middle of the field.

With incredible elusiveness, he is electric in and out of his breaks, awesome yards-after-catch ability, and a reliable playmaker in crucial moments, McConkey is going to make an immediate impact in a new-look Chargers offense.

Grade: B+

Instant analysis of Chargers selecting WR Ladd McConkey

Analyzing the Chargers’ selection of Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

This is why you read mock drafts.

In both mock drafts I did on Chargers Wire, including the final mock posted on Thursday morning, I projected that Los Angeles would select Ladd McConkey at No. 37.

And now, with a small trade up to get him, McConkey is a Charger at the 34th overall pick.

The upside here is that McConkey will be a more direct replacement for the traded Keenan Allen as an underneath player who wins with route-running savvy. We know Justin Herbert likes those kinds of players: all Allen did last season was set the franchise record for receptions in a single season.

McConkey is not a slot-exclusive receiver, however. Over 70% of his snaps came on the outside at Georgia despite his slight 5-foot-11 and 186-pound frame. But his release package and creative run-after-catch ability add an element the Chargers offense does not have after trading Allen and releasing Mike Williams this offseason.

So, the Chargers got a wide receiver after all. It was just a day later than some fans may have hoped.