Getty USC's Drake London hurdles Utah Utes defenders for a touchdown.
Who will the Atlanta Falcons select at No. 8 overall?
Nobody can seem to pinpoint one player or even one position with the Falcons having several roster needs as the 2022 NFL Draft approaches.
However, there is one player that the Falcons are said to ‘love.”
That player is Southern California wideout, Drake London, according to longtime draft expert Peter King, who has him heading to Atlanta at No. 8 overall in a recent mock draft.
“I’m going with the receiver I hear they love,” he wrote. “Some teams knocked London for not running a 40 in the runup to the draft after a late-October broken ankle caused him to miss USC’s last four games; he’s estimated at about 4.5, which is not top-end speed. Everything else about his game is top-end. His average game in 2021 (15 targets, 11 catches, 136 yards, one TD) was notable. Everyone knew the ball was coming to him, and his competitiveness in multiple coverages caught eyes. To keep up that level of production game after game is something that separates London from the other receivers in this crop.”
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London’s Scouting Report
Current Year: Junior
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 210 pounds
Even as a true freshman, London made his mark at the University of Southern California, finishing his first campaign with 39 receptions for 567 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 14.5 yards per catch. Not to mention, he also played basketball for the Trojans in the winter. He continued to prosper during his shortened sophomore season, recording 502 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 15.2 yards per catch.
In his final year with the Trojans, he tallied 88 receptions for 1,084 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games before sustaining an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Despite a minor setback, he should be back to feeling 100% just in time to go in the first round of the draft and back to full speed for pre-season workouts.
Falcons Have a Need at Wide Receiver
The Falcons have had a need at wide receiver since trading away Julio Jones last off-season. Things only got worse from there as they “lost” Calvin Ridley to a mental health break amid the 2021 season.
In place of Ridley, Russell Gage was forced to step up alongside Tajae Sharpe and Olamide Zaccheaus. While Gage did a decent job filling a void, he hit the open market at the end of the year and found a new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sharpe also became a free agent but it seems the Falcons were fond enough of his production from last season to re-sign him as they did Zaccheaus.
With the re-signing of Zaccheaus, he automatically jumps to the No. 1 receiving slot on the team’s unofficial depth chart. But while the former 2019 undrafted free agent has shown flashes of potential, he hasn’t been reliable enough to be a top wideout that the Falcons can count on that will make them 2022 contenders.
That being said, even with their veteran free-agent additions, the Falcons will address the wideout position but whether or not it’s their first priority at No. 8 overall remains to be seen.
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