Falcons WR Drake London Tapping Into Potential

Drake London plays a key role in the Atlanta Falcons offense, and he can prove why he was the first wideout taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 23, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons receiver Drake London is a year removed from being the first of his position off the board in the draft.

However, London, the No. 8 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had a quieter rookie year compared to fellow rookie classmates Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who were taken by the New York Jets at No. 10 and the New Orleans Saints at No. 11.

That being said, London is expected to continue thriving in Atlanta's offense as the top receiver and Bleacher Report believes he has more untapped potential than almost anyone in the NFL going into the season.

"The Falcons offense as a whole is still young and evolving under Arthur Smith," Bleacher Report writes. "London should break out in his sophomore season and show why he was the first receiver taken."

In his rookie year, London caught 72 passes for 866 yards and four touchdowns, with most of those yards coming in the final four games where quarterback Desmond Ridder started. He caught an average of 85.6 yards per game from December onwards, and if he were to post those numbers for an entire season, he'd be in the running towards becoming the No. 1 receiver in the entire league.

Even though the Falcons are prioritizing running the football, London plays an enormous role in the offense. Without the threat of a top receiver, the opposing defense can simply crowd the box and tackle the running back before he can get too far. But with a few play action threats, London forces the secondary to attend to him and it gives more balance on the offensive side of the ball.

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Published Jun 23, 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.