The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana is annually one of the most interesting events of the NFL calendar. Prospects of all different positions and pedigrees get to step onto the field and into the meeting rooms in order to boost their stock ahead of April's NFL Draft. One development we see play out each and every year is a player whose stock rapidly rises over the course of this week in the Hoosier State. This could be because they run a blistering 40-yard dash, out-jump their peers, measure bigger (or smaller) than expected, or just look the part.

Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey may be that guy in the 2024 NFL Draft. Not only does McConkey have championship pedigree having played for Georgia, but if you look at him out there on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, he's a classic example of a guy who just looks the part. 

“Ladd McConkey will be this years Puka!” ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit wrote on Twitter. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has another notable, high-profile comparison in mind due to their stunningly similar measurables at the Combine.

To be honest, I'm not sure where Herbstreit is going with this comparison. Nacua is 6'2″ and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. McConkey measured smaller, but faster. Puka Nacua was a fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Before McConkey tested at the Combine, he was considered an early-to-mid 2nd round prospect, and his performance in Indianapolis has likely only helped his draft stock — I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see either Buffalo or Kansas City take McConkey near the end of the 1st Round. Perhaps Kirk Herbstreit's comparison starts with the sort of minimal production Nacua and McConkey each put up in their final two college seasons in comparison to some of the high-profile wideouts who will be selected ahead of them.

Puka Nacua, 2021-22 at BYU: 91 receptions, 1,430 yards, 11 touchdowns

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Ladd McConkey, 2022-23 at Georgia: 88 receptions, 1,240 yard, 9 touchdowns

Alright, that I can see, but there's no world in which Ladd McConkey slips to the 5th round. Could McConkey come into the NFL and be an immediate difference maker, just as Puka Nacua was during his rookie season? I suppose there's a world where it could happen, but even if he's not an overnight sensation like Nacua was, McConkey likely has a very bright NFL future ahead of him.