Chargers' Ladd McConkey ranks near Justin Jefferson in key stat already

Chris Roling | Dec 6, 2024

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Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers wideout Ladd McConkey has been the best rookie at his position this season.

That’s probably not a sentence even optimistic Chargers fans would have thought going into the campaign. But it’s a testament to McConkey’s body of work so far that the numbers tell the whole story.

McConkey, despite battling multiple injuries, leads the Chargers in receiving with 815 yards and four touchdowns. He’s been the only reliable target in the offense all season for Justin Herbert.

Most important of all, he’s been the only man-coverage beater for Herbert, which other teams are starting to figure out.

McConkey has been so good at this, in fact, that he ranks alongside the likes of Justin Jefferson in stats specific to man coverage, as noted by Yahoo’s Matt Harmon:

The top-15 WRs in yards per route run vs. man coverage this season, per TruMedia. Obviously, any per-route stat is not exclusively player-owned but I generally believe good players produce vs. man. Much of this list passes the smell test and features most of my favorite WRs on… pic.twitter.com/OGQQl47PjV
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) December 5, 2024

Reinforcements aren’t coming to help the Chargers' passing attack this season. But what McConkey has been able to do, mostly without the help of threats elsewhere on the field, is really impressive.

It should go without saying, but it should get Chargers fans giddy thinking about what this offense might look like after an offseason of adding more receiving threats to the mix.

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