The Los Angeles Chargers have been rightly raked over the coals for their inability to add young wide receiver talent around star quarterback Justin Herbert, but the one exception to this streak of ineptitude has been emerging standout dynamo Ladd McConkey. The Chargers traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft to take McConkey at No. 34 overall.
The Chargers drafted McConkey over a few players many analysts projected to come off the board before him, including Indianapolis Colts youngster Adonai Mitchell and New England Patriots outside target Ja'Lynn Polk. One year later, that trade looks like a stroke of genius.
McConkey caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, while Polk couldn't get any snaps for the worst wide receiver room in the entire league. The latest news makes the Chargers' decision to move up and get their guy look even better for Joe Hortiz.
Polk, who was considered a possible roster cut after the additions of Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in the offseason, was ruled out for the rest of the 2025 season due to a shoulder injury. McConkey's 86-yard touchdown in the postseason gave him almost identical production to what the Patriots have seen in two years with Polk.
Chargers' Ladd McConkey move looks even better after Ja'Lynn Polk injury
Polk caught just 12 passes for 87 yards as a rookie, and the PFF numbers were just as bad as those numbers would indicate. The smooth operator from his days at Washington looked nothing like the slow, drop-plagued player that New England spent a Top-40 pick on.
Polk was so bad that New England spent multiple draft picks on skill position players who could replace him while handing Diggs a hefty three-year contract. Even if he returns to full health in 2026, he won't have much positive momentum at his back.
McConkey, meanwhile, is one of the best young pass-catchers in the game who is once again poised to be the leading receiver in the Chargers' passing attack. After such a dominant rookie year, the sky is the limit for what McConkey can accomplish in the Los Angeles offense.
Hortiz did help turn the Chargers into a playoff team in his first year with the team, and moves like the McConkey trade should give fans hope that he can finally be the one who breaks through the Chiefs-dominated AFC West in the future.