Despite a relatively stagnant start to the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys still have time to add a significant new weapon to their offense. While the team could roll with their current group of receivers, it only makes sense to bring in a new talent after the release of WR Michael Gallup.
A new article from Bleacher Report NFL analyst Derrik Klassen projects the Cowboys as a fit for former Georgia WR Ladd McConkey. McConkey is expected to be a first or second-round draft pick in this year’s draft and boasts an impressive skillset.
“Ladd McConkey is as polished and explosive a route-runner as you’ll find outside the top 10 in this class,” Klassen wrote on March 28. “But make no mistake: He is not a slot-only player. His best routes are comebacks, outs and post routes from an outside alignment, routes that highlight his burst and snappy route transitions. He is more of a vertical Z than a pure slot player.”
A versatile receiver like that that can switch off with Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb on the outside sounds like a matchup nightmare. While McConkey doesn’t boast the same numbers as other receivers in the draft, the tape shows that he’s a serious prospect.
Ladd McConkey Flashes in Athens
Over the past few years, Georgia TE Brock Bowers has been the focal point of the team’s passing offense. But the rise of McConkey during the 2021 and 2022 seasons was critical to the Bulldogs’ second CFP National Championship win.
According to Sports Reference, McConkey debuted with 31 catches for 447 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2022, he bettered his freshman season with 58 catches for 762 yards and 7 touchdowns.
His final season in Athens, Georgia was disrupted by injury, so his numbers dropped considerably. Still, his explosiveness was apparent as he averaged 15.9 yards per reception.
What makes McConkey such an exciting prospect is the technical skill of his route-running combined with blazing pace. NFL.com’s draft profile shows that he ran a 4.39 at the NFL Combine and was ranked the 5th-most athletic WR at this year’s combine.
His breakaway speed is actually most apparent in his rushing numbers. McConkey took 13 handoffs at Georgia, averaging 16.6 yards per carry and scoring 4 times over his three seasons as a Bulldog.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Speaks on Offseason Plans
On March 25, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy sat down with ESPN reporter Adam Schefter and talked about the Cowboys offseason. As fans and media question the lack of free agency activity, McCarthy backed the organization.
“I’m a big believer in the second to third-year jump, you know we have some young players, we got some guys coming back off of IR that are young players that we’re excited about, so we are definitely improving,” McCarthy said. “We’re just not part of the free agent market right now… Also there’s a lot left. You’ll probably have a market right before the draft or post-draft, and then you got your June 1 market and obviously we’ll have another draft class.”
Essentially, McCarthy said the Cowboys are still open to free agency moves later in 2024. That may not be the most exciting answer, but it’s a bit more perspective on Dallas’ approach.
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