Has Wide Receiver Ladd McConkey Done Enough to Become a First-Round Selection in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Originally posted on FanNation Dawgs Daily
By Christian Kirby II | Last updated 3/14/24

With the NFL Combine and pro day in the rearview, has wide receiver Ladd McConkey done enough to earn himself a first-round selection?

Over the past few weeks, numerous Georgia Bulldogs have competed in multiple drills in front of NFL scouts and coaches ahead of this year's draft.

Of the many notable Bulldogs in this year's draft class, wide receiver Ladd McConkey is a name that has popped up on many experts' radars. The former Bulldog turned in a blazing-fast 4.39 forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine and continued to shine in position-specific drills throughout the draft process.

But have McConkey's impressive showings been enough to earn him a first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft? After all, the Bulldogs have not had a receiver selected in the first round in over a decade and have gone even longer without a 1,000-yard receiver.

McConkey has routinely displayed his route-running ability and speed throughout his career at Georgia. Qualities that nearly every receiver taken in the first round possess. However, McConkey is not the only highly talented receiver to put these traits on display during the offseason.

Numerous other prospects have also turned in impressive forty times and some also have better measurables than McConkey such as height and weight. This unfortunately provides a disadvantage for McConkey, who has been listed as just over six feet tall.

While this year's wide receiver draft class is loaded with talent and the wide receiver position can be a volatile market in the NFL Draft. Ladd McConkey's work ethic, athletic abilities, and in-game tape have ensured that should he not be a first-round selection, it will be through no fault of his own.