Pressure tends to create diamonds, and no one will be facing as much pressure as Atlanta Falcons first round wide receiver Drake London. A two-sport athlete for as long as he can remember, London excelled at whatever he did, but had a particular talent for sports.
Born on 24th July 2001 in Moorpark, California, a young Drake London fell in love with basketball and football, quickly making the varsity team for both sports. In his senior year not only did he have 62 receptions for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns on the gridiron he also averaged 29.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on the hardwood. Offers from D1 institutions started to come in for both sports. When USC recruited London, they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, giving him the opportunity to play both sports.
London’s college career
As a true freshman in 2019, London made a significant contribution to the USC offense as he played in all 13 games and racked up 39 receptions, 567 yards and five touchdowns. His touchdowns came towards the back end of the season, catching all five touchdowns in the final five games of the season. This helped propel him into PFF’s Freshman All-American third team. London also earned Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Week honours after 111 yards and a touchdown against California. He set another career best a week later with 142 yards and a TD against UCLA. After the 2019 football season wrapped up London would join the men’s basketball team, making three appearances and averaging just one rebound a game.
2020 is always a year that will look strange on a stat sheet due to the pandemic. This is especially true for Pac-12 players as the conference handled the situation very poorly. Regardless, London shone as a sophomore, putting up 502 yards and three touchdowns in only six games. He earned 2020 All Pac-12 Second Team honours and made PFF’s All Pac-12 First Team. 2021 would be London’s year to put NFL teams on notice though, stating his case as one of the top wide receivers in the country.
In 2021, London would finally reach his goal of being a top receiver. Despite being injured during the eighth game of the season London still managed 88 receptions, 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. The injury was heartbreaking as London was on course to break Marqise Lee’s 2012 USC records in catches and receiving yards. That said, his 88 catches were enough to tie the record though eight games by a Power 5 player. Micheal Crabtree is the only other man to hit the same milestone.
London had five games in 2021 with 10 or more catches and six with at least 130 receiving yards. London is also the only USC receiver since Marqise Lee to have five consecutive 100+ yard outings. Despite the injury-shortened season, London was named to a ton of honour lists. This included Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, Football Writers All-American Second Team, AP All-American Third Team, as well as PFF’s Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. You get the point. London is a beast.
What to expect in the NFL
So what will London bring to the NFL? It is worth starting with a look at the technical side of his game. A big shoutout to @AJMoore21 for letting me use his technical analysis from the Full10Yards Draft Guide for this part. He is a far better judge of receiver talent than I am.
Let’s start with the positives. London is a nuanced route runner who uses his size and strength to attack the ball at the catch point. He is consistently able to utilise his huge catch radius to haul in passes that the other wide receiver cannot. London is also a versatile threat, showing that he can shine outside or in the slot. This gives him extra utility and keeps the defense guessing on every play. London is also a born leader who will go out and show up every single down. A clutch performer who isn’t afraid to go out and out-muscle guys on 50/50 balls with little regard for the size of the player covering him will no doubt endear him to team mates.
The negatives on the other hand are few and far between, but they still can’t be ignored. The biggest red flag is injury concerns. London’s ankle injury meant his missed the combine and could hamper his already limited speed and lack of explosiveness. London also lacks build-up speed, which will limit him in the deep game unless he beats his man early.
So how do you think London will perform in the NFL? How long until he’s catching passes from fellow rookie Desmond Ridder? Be sure to let me know in the comments and over on Twitter @KiernHorneCFB
