Falcons Rookie WR Drake London: The Next Mike Evans?

The Falcons rookie has been compared to the Buccaneers Pro Bowler.

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London has high expectations as a top-10 pick and the first wideout off the board.

Underdog Fantasy's Josh Norris compares London to division rival Mike Evans.

"I think he was almost typecast as a contested-catch, jump-ball wide receiver, and that was so far from the truth for me," Norris said on the Ross Tucker Podcast. I thought he was … one, could operate in the slot really well. And two, just the shiftiness he had, it reminded me a lot of Mike Evans coming out of Texas A&M.”

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout may have not been the first wide receiver selected in the loaded 2014 draft class, Evans might be the most successful. Evans has reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of the first eight seasons of his career. This comes in a class that featured Odell Beckham Jr., Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson and Davante Adams.

If London reaches close to what Evans has been able to do in Tampa, Atlanta will have a great player.

London previewed what he could become in Atlanta during his three seasons at USC. While he was placed in a secondary role during his freshman and sophomore seasons, combining for 1,069 yards in 14 games, London broke out in his junior year as the top receiver in the offense. In just eight games, London caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.

Given Atlanta's dilapidated receiver corps when London joined the Falcons, he'll immediately step into that WR1 role out the gate and have the potential to carry on the legacy of elite Falcons receivers.


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Jeremy Brener
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.