Justin Herbert says rookie WR Ladd McConkey understands the game 'like he's been a four- or five-year vet'

Justin Herbert says rookie WR Ladd McConkey understands the game 'like he's been a four- or five-year vet'

There is a whole lot of new for the Los Angeles Chargers heading into the 2024 season. They changed over both their front office and their coaching staff, bringing in Jim Harbaugh, who hired Greg Roman and Jesse Minter to coach the offense and defense, along with former Ravens executive Joe Hortiz to run the football operations department.

They also parted ways with longtime stalwarts, with the most notable of those being wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who have served as Justin Herbert's top two targets for the majority of his career to date. The Chargers still had Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston left over from last year's team, but it was also clear heading into the NFL Draft that they needed to add another wideout, probably in the early rounds.

They did just that in Round 2, selecting Ladd McConkey out of the University of Georgia. McConkey caught 119 passes for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns across his three seasons with the Bulldogs, impressing with his combination of route-running and electric speed. And now that he's into the offseason program, he's impressing Herbert.

"He's just picked up the offense so easily," Herbert said, via ESPN. "It's like he's been a four- or five-year vet. He understands the game."

McConkey was the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 24 overall player in the CBS Sports NFL Draft prospect rankings. He eventually came off the board behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Leggette, and Keon Coleman. Now, he has the chance to become Herbert's top target not just this year, but for years to come. If he can continue doing in the NFL what he did in college, he'll have a chance to be highly productive.