NFL Draft: Falcons Select USC's Drake London

The Falcons get their WR1 with one of the best in the draft class.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2022

The Atlanta Falcons have been eviscerated at the wide receiver position for the past year, but with the No. 8 pick in the draft tonight, they began to build it back up.

Drake London

Drake London

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With the pick, the Falcons selected wide receiver Drake London from USC, who's seen as one of the best receiver prospects in the draft.

London, who turns 21 this July, is a three-year prospect who registered 2,153 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns for the Trojans since 2019.

The selection of London would enable the Falcons to begin restoring their wide receiving corps. Atlanta has lost talent at the position in back-to-back years, which began by trading Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans in 2021. In March, the NFL suspended the Falcons' top receiver in Calvin Ridley indefinitely for illegal betting. The team also lost Russell Gage in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With the addition of London, the team might not be done adding wideouts. Given the team's thin depth and two extra picks for Day 2 tomorrow, it's not out of the question to draft London a running partner in the offense.

Drake London

Drake London

With this pick, Atlanta checks off one of its biggest needs in the draft and will now look to add a pass rusher or quarterback either by trading into the final few picks of the first round or when the team is on the clock again at No. 43.

Published Apr 28, 2022

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.