Is Drake London Lions' Wide Receiver of Future?

Scouting report on USC Trojans wideout Drake London.

If you've watched the Lions play this year, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out they need to get better at wide receiver.

Pac-12 offensive player of the year, USC WR Drake London, is one of the options Detroit may very well be interested in.

The Lions are no strangers to USC, after drafting WR Amon-Ra St. Brown last season in the fourth round.

Might they go back to the USC well once again and select London next spring in the NFL Draft?

It depends on what Detroit is looking for. If the Lions are looking for a game-breaking receiver, then London is not the guy.

On the other hand, if they are looking for a possession receiver with dominant height, then London could very well be in the mix.

While home-run hitters are great, every team needs that guy who can move the chains on the non- SportsCenter type of receptions.

London has a little Steve Largent and a little Art Monk feel to him. He does not have the same kind of sure hands, but he has some of that same feel. It probably comes from London’s exceptional route-running.

“London was a shoo-in for the Biletnikoff Award before breaking his ankle in week 9 against Arizona. He piled up 1,084 yards on 88 catches with 22 broken tackles and 19 contested catches in only eight games,” according to Pro Football Focus, which has London slated to go No. 24 overall in the first round to Detroit.

The real wildcard is the ankle.

After posting back-to-back seasons of rather bland numbers from 2019-20, London exploded with huge production this season prior to the injury.

In 2021, London’s longest catch of the season was for 44 yards, and he posted seven touchdowns. His 12.3 yards-per-catch average was the only statistic that was down compared to the two seasons prior.

An alarming statistic is on the 88 catches, he was actually targeted 124 times. 

Despite the sudden hype surrounding London, there is no way he ever would be considered a first-round talent, even prior to the injury, based on actual film study.

At best, he would have been an ideal third-round selection, who now slides down a round due to breaking his ankle. There is no telling how the injury will affect him going forward, and there is nothing out there speaking to the long-term prognosis.

It is not just the ankle, either.

There were a couple other times he came down from a catch and landed awkwardly. He just gives off the feeling that he may bring the injury bug with him to whatever team selects him.

London gives off that vibe of being a shooting star.

London gives off the vibe of being one of these "one-year wonders" who never lives up to his billing in the pros, for a good number of reasons.

© Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

#15 Drake London - 6-foot-5, 209 pounds

40-yard dash time (pre-injury): 4.48

Games reviewed in 2021: Notre Dame, Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State

Grade: Fourth-fifth round

NFL comparable: Justin Skaggs

Scouting Report

Lanky and tough receiver, with average one-gear football speed and decent, but not great hands. More quick than fast. Excels in the short-to-intermediate route levels. Works back towards the quarterback. He is absolutely not a deep threat. Runs a lot of receiver screens and bubble routes. Excellent route runner, with quick and choppy feet and quick enough ability to change direction to create throwing windows. Uses big frame well against smaller corners. 

Longer-looking arms, but not impressive vertical jumping ability. Slightly above-average athletic ability. Average body control and ability to adjust in the air. Tough runner after the catch, but nothing special. Not the easiest to bring down. Not elusive whatsoever. Questionable hands. Consistently drops some he should not. Struggles in tightly-contested situations. Hands looked hard at times. Good run blocker. Stays after it. Solid complementary possession-type receiver. Nothing excites me about him. Role player.

If he does indeed declare for the draft, it will be as big of a crapshoot for him, as it will be for the team who takes a flier and selects him.

It is just tough for possession receivers in the NFL who aren’t sure-handed.