Taking the Next Step: Ladd McConkey

Last season, redshirt freshman receiver, Ladd McConkey, surged onto the scene for Georgia as one of their most explosive playmakers. As the season progressed, McConkey's offensive role continued to blossom and evolve to the point where offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, made it an emphasis that the ball had to be in McConkey's hands multiple times throughout the game.

Coming off a season in which he had 31 receptions, 447 yards, and five touchdowns, 2022 could be the year where McConkey takes his game a step further and develops into a top target for the Bulldogs.

McConkey displayed the versatile talent he possesses on the football field during his breakout year. The Chatsworth, Georgia, native proved he could do it all, whether it was reeling in a deep shot down the field for an explosive play, his ability to rack up yards after the catch, or even getting touches on the jet sweep. Now, it's about separating from a deep wide receiver room and asserting himself as a must-have receiver on the field, down in and down out. Something that head coach Kirby Smart feels he and Adonai Mitchell have done, saying during the spring that he felt confident they had two "SEC receivers."

While Georgia returns most of their offensive production from last season, they lost George Pickens to the NFL draft and Jermaine Burton to the transfer portal. Both played prominent roles in Georgia's offense when available. The Bulldogs do return players like Adonai Mitchell, Brock Bowers, and Kearis Jackson this season, but there is a lot of value in having a guy like McConkey, who is a jack of all trades when it comes to playing wide receiver.

He has stamped his name onto the depth chart and has earned his right to be a familiar face on Saturdays; now, it's just a matter of elevating his game to another level. Georgia's depth chart at receiver is littered with talent, which also means there are a lot of mouths to feed, and McConkey has the potential this season to establish himself as one of the featured wide receivers in Georgia's offense this upcoming season.

In 2021, it was about becoming a relevant name on Georgia's roster for McConkey. Now it's time to see if he can take that next step in his career and have his name begin to really rise above the others.