The LA Chargers traded up to draft Ladd McConkey with the 34th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McConkey quickly emerged as the No. 1 option in the Chargers' passing offense and has been one of — if not the — best rookie wide receivers in the league.
If it wasn't for the New England Patriots the Chargers never would have had the chance to draft McConkey in the first place. New England traded the 34th pick and 137th picks to the Chargers for the 37th and 110th picks.
Three picks after the Chargers snagged McConkey, who seemed like a perfect Patriots wideout on paper, New England drafted Washington's Ja'Lynn Polk. This has become a huge talking point in Foxborough as Polk has struggled while McConkey has thrived.
McConkey made this talking point worse on Saturday with eight catches for 94 yards with two touchdowns. With the big game, McConkey officially passed Keenan Allen for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie in Chargers franchise history. Polk, meanwhile, did not catch a single pass.
Ladd McConkey somehow makes the Patriots look even more foolish in Chargers' win
With two touchdown catches in the game, McConkey now found the endzone at Gillette Stadium more times than Polk has this season. Polk has just two touchdowns all year, only one of which has come at home.
Polk has caught just 12 passes on 32 targets for 87 yards this season. McConkey not only matched Polk's yearly touchdown count but he surpassed his yearly receiving yards total and hauled in 75% of his total catches. That is how bad it has been for Polk this season.
Making matters even worse for New England is the fact the team butchered the 110th pick in the draft. New England passed on the chance to draft McConkey to move up 27 spots on day three of the draft, which is usually a crapshoot anyway.
The Patriots drafted another wide receiver, Javon Baker, with the 110th pick in the draft. Baker has been active in 10 games this season, including Saturday, and has not caught a single pass this season. Heading into Saturday, he played just 40 offensive snaps.
The Chargers, meanwhile, selected Tarheeb Still with the 137th pick in the draft. Still has been a revelation and is in the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
This graphic is brutal 😂 the Chargers fleeced the Patriots so badly 😭 pic.twitter.com/OmV8dbX1Bd
— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) December 28, 2024
The price for giving up on McConkey, who has been leaps and bounds better than Polk this season, is a wide receiver who can hardly play. Meanwhile, the Chargers were still able to draft an impactful player, meaning they were able to draft McConkey essentially for free.
This decision by the Patriots will be under a microscope for a long time. New England's main objective is to surround rookie quarterback Drake Maye with as much talent as possible and they failed drastically in that objective in large part due to this trade in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But hey, Chargers fans certainly aren't complaining. The Chargers brought in the best rookie wideout in franchise history in the trade.