Falcons Fortunate for 'Promising Building Block' Drake London

Drake London is one of the best Atlanta Falcons prospects on the team right now, and they need him in order to succeed.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 7, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are building around quarterback Desmond Ridder, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts. It's easy to forget about wide receiver Drake London given the talent around him, but he's key to the Falcons' rebuild.

Bleacher Report lists London as the most promising building block for the Falcons.

"London's rookie year was solid. His numbers weren't as flashy as Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson, but he posted 72 catches for 866 yards and four touchdowns on 117 targets. On first glance, that's not great efficiency, but it's important to keep the quarterback situation in mind," Bleacher Report writes.

"According to Player Profiler, London was 37th in target accuracy and 11th in yards per route run. In other words, he didn't fare well in quarterback-dependent metrics but was better in things that account more for his contributions."

Perhaps London's numbers would look better with a full season in a Ridder-led offense.

Ridder started four games in 2022. He threw for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Atlanta went 2-2 in the four games Ridder started.

Once Ridder became the starting quarterback in Week 15, London saw a big uptick in his production. He had 25 catches for 333 yards in Ridder's starts, including a career-high 120 receiving yards on Jan. 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The second-year receiver had at least five catches in each game during that span.

If the four-game sample at the end of the 2022 season is any indication, Ridder and London's connection may blossom over the course of a whole season. If they can stay on the same page and pace the Falcons' passing attack, London and Ridder may have a chance to become one of the best young duos in football.

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Published Jul 7, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.