ATHENS — For all the talent that Kirby Smart has produced during his time in Athens, the Bulldogs have not had a wide receiver taken in the first round. AJ Green was the last Georgia wide receiver to go in the first round, back in the 2011 NFL Draft.

But Ladd McConkey is pushing to change that. The Georgia wide receiver impressed at the Senior Bowl in January. And with a strong performance at the NFL combine, McConkey could further cement himself as a candidate to be a first-round pick.

“I think with Ladd, having just come off the Senior Bowl and watching him play, I don’t know why he’s not getting that first-round love,” ESPN’s Matt Miller said on a Zoom call with reporters. “I don’t know if there’s an expectation that he’s not going to perform well athletically. He’s incredibly quick. He’s gonna have a great 3-cone, short shuttle, all that is going to be fantastic. He doesn’t drop the ball ever.”

Miller had McConkey landing with the Carolina Panthers at pick No. 33 in his most recent mock draft. The highest wide receiver to be drafted since Smart became Georgia’s head coach was George Pickens, who was taken with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

McConkey had far from an ideal senior season, as he missed five games with back and ankle injuries. He was clearly hobbled in Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Alabama, when he had only 3 receptions for 38 yards.

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