Drake London

The Atlanta Falcons selected USC wide receiver Drake London with the No. 8 overall pick on Thursday during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Adding a playmaker in London to pair with pass-catching tight end Kyle Pitts gives quarterback Marcus Mariota two big targets to work with in 2022. London ranked seventh on Daniel Jeremiah's top 150 prospects list and has been selected accordingly. Despite playing for a USC team that bottomed out in 2021, London emerged as a highly coveted receiving talent who earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors in his final season with the Trojans. A big reason is because, well, he's big.

With the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft the Atlanta Falcons selected USC wide receiver Drake London. London is an absolute monster, so it's no ...

Once that’s done, you’ll have your new jersey in the mail. The two have similar builds, with London checking in at 6-foot-4 and he plays like a big receiver. Time to celebrate with your own NFL Draft Drake London Atlanta Falcons jersey.

The Atlanta Falcons end up taking wide receiver Drake London with their top overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Still undrafted are QBs like Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett, so Atlanta could still go there later. The selection of London does enable the Falcons to begin restoring their wide receiving corps. Drake London

USC star WR Drake London is expected to be a first-round pick, but which teams will he fit in with the best?

While London probably won't fall that far, both squads have the draft capital to possibly trade up for the talented Trojan, as these two teams desperately need a playmaker at the receiver position. That tells you all you need to know about the state of the WR depth chart in Atlanta. The Eagles hold two first-round selections this year, as they are slotted in at picks No. 15 and 18, which is right around the time that London may be selected. The 6-foot-5, 219 pound London would instantly make the Eagles' offense much scarier. The Falcons need a lot of help on offense. Atlanta holds pick No. 8, which gives them the option to virtually pick any receiver they'd like, as the teams ahead of them likely won't explore that position outside the New York Jets. And Drake London seems to be a popular pick by analysts to be the first WR off the board on Thursday night.

With the eighth pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Drake London, WR, USC. GRADE: B. The Falcons came into this draft needing just about ...

His experience against press-aligned defenders will make his transition to the NFL a bit easier than it will be for others in this class. London also was a little inconsistent at the catch point, as he dropped eight catchable passes last season. London is one of a few players in this draft who can step in and serve as a prototypical X receiver. Strengths: What might work most in London’s favor is that he stands out as perhaps the prototypical “X” receiver in a class that sees more options at the “Z” role or even in the slot. He decided to focus on football, and in the shortened 2020 season he caught 33 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns. he caught 39 passes for 567 yards and five touchdowns in the fall, and played in three games for the USC basketball team that winter.

The Falcons take the big-bodied wide receiver with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

This year, it was wide receiver Drake London with the No. 8 overall pick. But even with these decisions, the Falcons were without a true No. 1 target at wide receiver for the first time since - arguably - before the Roddy White era in Atlanta. Now, it goes without saying that London will take over that moniker in this new Falcons era with the days gone of White, Julio Jones and - perhaps - Ridley. Last year, it was tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick.

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 ...

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. The selection of London would enable the Falcons to begin restoring their wide receiving corps. Drake London

Falcons fans reacted to the team's first-round selection of USC wide receiver Drake London on Twitter.

Drake London was the first receiver selected in this year's NFL Draft, going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 overall.

London is expected to be the No. 1 wide out in the ATL, and pairing him up with last year's first round pick Kyle Pitts should give the Falcons and new QB Marcus Mariota a dynamic pass-catching duo. He was the go-to receiver during his last two seasons with the Trojans. The Trojan alum gives Atlanta a much-needed No. 1 wide receiver with an amazing skillset.

The Falcons had their choice of quarterbacks with the eighth overall choice. They instead selected a receiver over Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and ...

It was not to be in the first round, though. London joins a receiving corps that includes Olamide Zaccheaus, Auden Tate, Damiere Byrd, KhaDarel Hodge, Austin Trammell and Frank Darby. So, there was an obvious need. The Falcons had their choice of quarterbacks with the eighth overall choice.

Current and former USC Trojans players, staff and alumni shared their excitement for Drake London after he was drafted by Atlanta at No. 8 overall.

The Trojans have now had a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft for the third straight year. And another former Atlanta great receiver, Roddy White, knows how important London is to the Falcons. Everyone in the Twitter universe agrees that Drake London was a great selection for the Falcons. Another former Trojan WR will be in the NFL.

After months of anticipation, the Atlanta Falcons selected USC wide receiver Drake London with the No. 8 overall pick.

Pairing London with Pitts gives Atlanta two big targets for Marcus Mariota to throw to this season. Day Two of the draft resumes on Friday with the second and third rounds, and concludes with rounds 4-7 on Saturday. The Falcons have eight picks remaining, including four selections on Friday night. After Calvin Ridley was lost to a gambling suspension and Russell Gage signed with the Bucs in free agency, the Falcons opted to pass on both Malik Willis and Kyle Hamilton to add a new No. 1 wide receiver.

With this sort of monster move, Dallas would check off one of its biggest needs in the draft.

... but it would have to be much later, because a trade up for the "loved'' London would cost Dallas its second-round pick and maybe more. Dallas has lost talent at the position with the trade of Amari Cooper and the free agency defection of Ced Wilson. "I definitely see myself as a tackle for sure, but I'm willing to move wherever I need to go to mesh with the organization or wherever I am. Look at the Falcons at the No. 8 slot. Drake London Drake London

For all the talented receivers USC has produced over the past 20 years, only two have been first-round picks. London is a deserving third.

Graham Harrell backed up Aaron Rodgers in the NFL, broke records throwing to Michael Crabtree at Texas Tech and was just months removed from coaching Pittman, who was a Biletnikoff Award finalist as a senior at USC. Harrell doesn’t tend to extend praise easily, but three weeks before the 2020 season kicked off — and before London truly broke out — the Trojans’ offensive coordinator said this: “Drake London is as talented of a player as I’ve been around. There’s so much to like about London as far as traits go, but one thing can’t be overlooked: He’s an excellent practice player, one of the best USC has had in recent years. As Pittman projected back in October, what London did on the field and put on tape in 2021 was enough to warrant a first-round selection. All of those traits made him the dominant prospect he became at the college level, and now the Falcons are banking on him replicating that in the NFL. That sums up London’s junior season (15 targets per game). His basketball background is evident with his elite high-pointing skills to play through contact and thrive above the rim. Michael Pittman Jr. thought back to the final season of his USC career and the tall freshman receiver who couldn’t decide whether football or basketball was going to be his primary sport.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons are not one player away from forming a complete roster. There are many more holes to fill, probably more than can be ...

We've seen him run the routes we're going to ask him to run inside. There was a defensive run and then the receivers started to go." Did they have a chance to get the receiver they wanted? "We've seen him go inside the numbers," Smith said. They know that from the tape. Now let's think about this pick in the context of Thursday's opening round. They know that after working London out privately and meeting with him twice. Oh, and he was the best player left on their board. "He plays a lot of positions," head coach Arthur Smith said. There was tons of quality available, ready to work on rookie contracts. They quite literally had the pick of the litter. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons are not one player away from forming a complete roster.

For the second straight year, the Falcons used a top-10 pick on a pass-catcher. This time, it was USC wide receiver Drake London that got the call.

“It’s football at the end of the day, I know I’m gonna get hit but we gotta go get the ball. “Yeah, I had a little indication but they were playing it a little discrete, keeping everything in house. This time, it was USC wide receiver Drake London that got the call.

Drake London, USC's best player in 2021, has been selected by the with the No. pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

London caught 88 balls for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021 and missed a large chunk of the year after hurting his ankle. The Falcons were sold on him, and they should have been. It is really early, but there is a path to London being the 2022 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, especially if he can form a solid relationship with Marcus Mariota in Atlanta.

Drake London is a massive target at 6'5 and spent three seasons with USC totaling 2,153-receiving yards and 15-touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 13.5-yards ...

There were better options on the board that would help accelerate the rebuild and push Atlanta in the right direction. It is hard to have a receiver come in and make a big impact when you have an offensive line that cannot pass block and a defensive line unable to slow opposing offenses. Drake London is a very talented receiver but was a reach at 8th overall.

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons wide receiver Drake London, who sustained a fractured ankle, did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine or at.

Social media and instant reaction to Drake London being picked by Falcons · Share this article · FORMER FALCON JAMAL ANDERSON · DRAKE LONDON'S FAMILY · DUCKS WIRE ...

Not many people and families get to experience this thrill, so for the few who do, it’s a life-changing moment filled with weight and power on so many levels. It’s a privilege to have one’s name called at any point in the NFL draft, but to be taken with a top-10 pick guarantees high-end money and transports a young person into an entirely different world of choices and pressures. A son earns millions of dollars.

The Falcons have their new receiver, but can he fill the void left by Calvin Ridley?

When healthy, London very well could be the next great Falcons receiver. Atlanta struggled to find any offensive consistency in the red zone in 2021, ranking 24th in scoring percentage. London now will pair with second-year tight end Kyle Pitts to form a red zone tandem that could be unmatched. "I think I just matured in the game. He would've provided the speed and route-running needed in space while London would have won with size. Drake London