NFL Rookie Outlook - Drake London Lands With the Falcons

The 2022 NFL Draft Class has been described as having a deep selection of wide receivers. With many receivers having varying skill sets, the one that has been recognized as the most complete prospect is Drake London.

Drake London is a wide receiver from USC that checks off numerous boxes that teams look for when evaluating talent. Let's dive into his profile for fantasy football purposes.

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Measurables

At 6’4’’, 219 lbs, London is a big-bodied pass catcher that has the build of a true X receiver à la Mike Evans. As a former high school basketball star, he possesses an outstanding catch radius. Due to his size and leaping ability, he can collect passes at their apex where they would be out of reach for the majority of receivers. London’s combination of an elite frame and jump ball prowess should be able to provide constant mismatches against most cornerbacks in the NFL.

With his athletic gifts, one of the downsides to London is his lack of speed. London was unable to participate in drills at the NFL Combine due to his injury recovery but was expected to complete drills at USC’s Pro Day. He was able to execute most drills but declined to run the 40 due to a mild hamstring strain. With no real measurement for London’s speed, teams might be a little wary. But from what the tape shows, Drake London makes up for his lack of speed with his imposing build, impressive route running, and big play ability.

 

London's College Production

Coming into USC as a four-star recruit, Drake London committed to being a two-sport athlete in football as well as basketball. But after a few minutes of game time on the hardwood, he decided to stick with football full time. On the field though, London had the privilege of being fairly involved during his freshman season while also playing alongside two stellar NFL receivers. 

In 2019, Drake London was more involved than most freshman receivers. He started in eight games as he accounted for over 550 receiving yards and five touchdowns while sharing the field with Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown. If you paid attention to some of the young talents that showed out in the 2021 season, those names should ring a bell. The Trojans' passing offense utilized Pittman and St. Brown often as they both topped 1,000 receiving yards while starting in all 13 games. So while the end-of-season numbers don’t jump off the page, London carving out a decent role for himself while playing alongside two NFL star receivers speaks volumes.

As the early picks of the 2022 draft were exclusively defensive players and offensive linemen, the very first skill position player off the board was Drake London as he landed at eight to the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta has been in desperate need of a new wide receiver after Calvin Ridley's gambling scandal landed him a season-long suspension and Russell Gage signed with Tampa Bay in free agency.

So, heading into the draft, the Falcons were staring down a reality where Olamide Zaccheaus was their WR1 and Kyle Pitts was the only capable pass catcher. Now that they got their guy in Drake London, they are looking very formidable with two towering options to catch passes from Marcus Mariota in 2022. With Drake London at 6’4’’ and Kyle Pitts at 6’6’’, the Falcons are going to be a mismatch factory in the receiving game for the foreseeable future.

 

Fantasy Football Outlook

There is a decent chance that Drake London makes an immediate fantasy impact during his rookie season. While having Marcus Mariota as his quarterback is less than ideal, he’s clearly the most talented wide receiver on the roster. The Falcons, with their current roster makeup, are also expected to be one of the lesser teams in the NFL for 2022. With their inferior roster, Atlanta should be playing from behind for a majority of their matchups which will encourage pass-heavy game scripts. Drake London could benefit similar to what Amon-Ra St. Brown experienced when he was peppered with targets down the stretch of the 2021 season.

As far as his dynasty outlook goes, London may be finding himself in a great situation for years to come. The Falcons did select quarterback, Desmond Ridder, in the third round but are expected to be one of the worst teams in 2022. Ridder may show promise, but his third-round draft status would suggest that Atlanta is not committed to him being the future of their franchise. With Ridder taken into account, it still wouldn’t be surprising to see the Falcons pivot to an early quarterback in 2023. The 2023 draft has a couple of cant-miss quarterback prospects in Alabama's Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, and C.J. Stroud from Ohio State. If the Falcons lay enough of an egg in 2022 to place themselves in a position to draft either of these quarterbacks, Drake London would be in a stable setup for the long haul.

For dynasty leagues, a higher-level wide receiver paired up with a young and talented quarterback can be a gold mine. Not that he isn’t valuable now, but if the Falcons are able to pull off what most assume to be their plan for the future, Drake London would skyrocket as one of the most sought-after options in dynasty leagues.

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