Instant analysis of Chargers drafting Ladd McConkey

Travis Wakeman

Instant analysis of Chargers drafting Ladd McConkey image

The Los Angeles Chargers traded up a few slots in the draft on Friday night and added a wide receiver to a room that desperately needed one. The first pick in the second round was a wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills drafting Keon Coleman. The Chargers wanted to make sure that no others came off the board before they had a chance to get one. 

 

Following the trade, the Chargers selected Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who will have a chance to come in and make an immediate impact on offense. He is a receiver who really climbed up the draft board and even had late first-round appeal. 

MORE 2024 NFL DRAFT: Safest picks | Riskiest picks | Top sleepers | Small-school steals

 

In Los Angeles, he could find a role as a go-to slot receiver or even line up on the outside as he is one of the best route-runners in this class. He is on the smaller size at 6-foot and 185 pounds, so questions about how durable he will be will persist.

Still, this is a good move for the Chargers as the team needed a reliable pass-catcher and this gives Justin Herbert a guy he can confidently look for in key situations. A former Chargers quarterback really thinks highly of the move. 

 

I won't call it a great pick since I named five wide receivers the team should consider in round two and with only one of those gone when this pick was made, McConkey was not one of those. 

Still, it's hard to argue much with this choice. 

Grade: B+

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.