Kyle Pitts and Drake London: NFL Draft Gives Atlanta Falcons Big Boost

According to Sports Illustrated, the Atlanta Falcons will consider taking wide receiver Drake London with their top overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Atlanta Falcons have a significant void to fill at quarterback since the departure of Matt Ryan. But the Falcons have a focus on building their depleted wide receiving corps. 

And they are doing so in a large way.

Drake London

Drake London

Drake London

Nearly every mock draft has featured the Falcons selecting a wide receiver with their No. 8 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Sports Illustrated continued the pattern Tuesday morning with the selection of wide receiver Drake London from USC.

And that indeed is the direction the Falcons went.

London is 6-5, a three-year prospect who registered 2,153 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns for the Trojans since 2019. 

London could be considered a coach Arthur Smith type - a big, physical receiver.

And he will work alongside the 6-5 Kyle Pitts, last year's top pick by the Falcons - another big and freakishly athletic pass-catcher who lines up at tight end.

The selection of London does 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.

Drake London

Andrew Nelles Tennessean via IMAGN

Julio Jones

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Calvin Ridley

The Falcons ended up signing veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, and now he's got some attractive - and tall - weapons to work with.

Still undrafted are QBs like Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett, so Atlanta could still go there later. But for now? Atlanta just went big - literally.