Why Drake London is the most unique wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft

Photo: USC Trojans Football

USC wide receiver Drake London is one of the more intriguing wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. His size, fluidity, and unbelievable production make him seem like a slam dunk prospect on the surface. Still, I think his projection is a lot more complicated and requires a deep dive to decide what his role should be in the NFL and how much value he can provide at the next level.

Drake London arrived at USC in 2019 and played three seasons for the Trojans. This year, he became a big name after recording 1,084 receiving yards in just eight games. He got injured halfway through the season, but he was highly productive when he played, ranking top thirty in total receiving yards this season despite missing a lot of time.

His production this year was outstanding as he averaged 11 catches per game for 135.5 yards and 0.88 touchdowns. He recorded at least 100 receiving yards in six of the eight games he appeared in, and his worst performance was a 4 REC/68 YDS/1 TD game against Stanford in week two.

His 11 receptions and 135.5 receiving yards per game rank first among all receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Although this level of volume is impressive, especially considering the competition he played against, there are some warts in his statistical production.

For example, he averaged just 12.3 yards per reception, and he had a touchdown rate of just 8%. These marks rank 13th and 11th in the class, respectively. This means that London likely won’t be a great deep threat at the next level, which I noted while watching his film.

Since London has excellent size, standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 219 pounds, you immediately want to make him your X receiver and allow him to utilize his unreal frame to overwhelm smaller cornerbacks. He could certainly do that in college, consistently dunking on corners in jump-ball situations, but he struggled to create separation on deep routes.

Winning in contested situations looks cool, and it’s a valuable trait in certain situations. Still, you need to be able to win in various ways because that is a difficult way to make your money in the NFL.

If a receiver wants to win on deep routes consistently, they must be able to create separation and give their quarterback a window to throw too. Jump-balls are simply not effective enough for NFL teams to make them a big part of their offense. Since Drake London isn’t great at creating separation on deep routes, I wouldn’t bet on that being his calling card at the next level.

Here’s the good news: Drake London is extremely shifty, and I think he can be a dominant slot receiver in the NFL.

I remember the first time I watched London play. The first thing I noticed was his fluidity and how good he was at creating separation on short routes. You don’t see many guys that big move the way London does. His unique blend of size and fluidity leads me to believe that he could be a phenomenal slot receiver with the ability to play on the outside.

I don’t love player comps, but to visualize his role at the next level, I’m going to try one. When I watch Drake London, and look at his measurables, I think of Michael Thomas. Both receivers had big frames coming out of college and have very similar strengths and weaknesses. Neither are great athletes, but they are good route runners and can win in contested situations.

Statistically, Drake London is comparable to Mike Williams, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 225 pounds, and averaged 13.9 yards per reception during his final season at Clemson. To be completely honest, few prospects were as big and had as heavy of a load in college as London. However, Williams definitely has one of the most similar statistical profiles.

Although I have some concerns about Drake London’s ability to succeed with a heavy dose of snaps as the X receiver, there’s a lot to like about him as a prospect. He’s young (2nd youngest receiver in the class), has excellent size, and he carried an insane load this year, catching 2.5 more passes per game than anyone else in the class.

I know the idea of drafting a “slot receiver” high is scary, but Drake London is much more than that. He’s like a supercharged tight end who can shine in the slot and dunk on undersized cornerbacks as a boundary receiver. The challenge for NFL teams will be finding the perfect role for him to utilize his size and fluidity and maximize his value.