The LA Chargers surprised fans by taking Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If it did not take long for the team to once again surprise fans as the Bolts quickly moved up in the second round to take Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
Los Angeles entered day two of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 37th pick and traded up to the 34th pick to take McConkey. After not drafting a wide receiver in the first round, it made sense for the Chargers to have urgency to go and get the receiver that they liked in the second round.
That receiver was obviously McConkey and the Chargers were willing to spend extra draft capital to go up and get him. With such a depleted wide receiver room, the hope is now that McConkey can develop into a legitimate WR1 for the team.
MCCONKEY, TAKE A BOW@GeorgiaFootball ties it up at 17 pic.twitter.com/tqn2adeR4u
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 4, 2021
Chargers trading up to draft Ladd McConkey was a smart move
McConkey was our No. 1 receiver remaining heading into day two and the Chargers did what it took to bring him into the fold. McConkey was not the first receiver taken on round two, that was Keon Coleman, and it is clear that the Chargers felt like they should move up and take him.
McConkey adds a new athleticism to the Chargers offense that was lacking at the wide receiver position. He definitely has round-one skillset but fell to the second round because of injury concerns from his time at Georgia.
The Georgia wide receiver is a smooth route runner who can be a legitimate weapon on routes in all threes areas of the field. McConkey might be forced to stay in the slot early in his career because of his size but he should fit in nicely considering he is a good run blocker and that is the M-O with Jim Harbaugh as the head coach.
McConkey might not be a Malik Nabers-type receiver but after drafitng the best tackle in the draft, getting someone as talented as McConkey in the second round is a big win. The biggest hope now is that he can stay healthy and that the injury bug does not follow him to LA.