PLAYER (PROSPECT) PROFILE
Drake London is the USC Trojans standout wide receiver and one of the top prospects in the 2022 class. He accumulated over 2,100 receiving yards on 160 career receptions at Arkansas and finished his final year with 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games as a Junior during the 2021 season.
Below is a quick breakdown of the most notable metrics and London easily meets the thresholds to be considered elite or above average in each of the metrics listed.
- Breakout Age: 19
- DOM Rating: 31.8%
- Best Season Market Share: 30.3%
- Best Season TD Share: 33.3%
- Best Season Y/TPA: 3.3
SCHEMATIC BREAKDOWN
Fortunately for Drake London, he spent his final season under the tutelage of former NFL quarterback Graham Harrell who focuses on using his best athletes in different formations to spread the field. Not only does he challenge his players to play with high football IQ but he ran an air raid offense which is all the rage these days in the NFL.
London was used not only as an outside wide receiver but was also asked to play some in the slot, which is quite unusual for a 6’5” 210 lbs. receiver, however, coaches have become as creative as ever so post 2020. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him moved around similarly at the next level.
ATTRIBUTES – STRENGTHS
London’s size instantly jumps off the screen when you flip on his tape. At 6’5”, he towers over his opposition and imposes his will on defenders. While he could simply rely on his size to beat his opponents, it’s clear when watching the film, he’s worked diligently to become multifaceted by refining his skill set as a route runner. London displays a thorough understanding of spacing and zones by slipping into the soft spots in the defense, taking calculated angles, and using the sideline or other parts of the field to his advantage based on the coverage.
It may seem obvious, but London is a serious red zone threat given his size and aggressiveness. He high-points the football and catches the ball with his hands. He’s not waiting for the ball to get to him and taking the chance a defender might gain ground and break it up. For all his size, London is surprisingly elusive. He has an unusual ability to break tackles and pull away from defenders at 6’5”. It was also very clear he improved from 2020 to 2021 in terms of footwork and release. I find it’s important to see growth each year of a player’s career, and I think we see that here.
The below cut-up is perfect because it shows how he uses spacing to push his defender to the sideline with a deceptive head fake luring him even further. He then makes a sharp cut in and up creating just enough separation for the long completion, not to mention finishing it off by dropping his shoulder into the defender.
In this next clip, you see London find the small zone between the defenders here and come back to the ball using his hands to secure the touchdown. I see too many players let this ball come to their body and be broken up by the defender before it gets there.
ATTRIBUTES – WEAKNESSES
The main areas Drake London struggles the most, which aren’t many, are with lack of long-range speed, lateral agility, and above-average burst. All of these deficiencies contribute to his shortcomings in terms of yards after the catch ability.
Although I find him proficient in almost every category I grade from separation and route running to burst and elusiveness he’s not elite in every category and still needs to improve these areas of his game to truly elevate to the next level.
Here you can see the lack of speed and agility allows the defender to stay on top of him but again he uses his physicality and hands to go get the ball.
While he’s no speed demon this cut-up shows just how he finds the zones in coverage and paces himself to sit in there allowing the quarterback to drop it in between the opposition for a big gain.
FILM STUDY ANALYSIS
| SCORE | GRADE |
| 56/70 | Above Average |
London’s film score tied for the highest alongside Treylon Burks in the 2022 class for wide receivers. Personally, I favor London over Burks because I believe he’s a more polished player and still comes with the special size and speed combination, albeit a different build. I score each attribute individually and this is just how the numbers came together. I try to be as unbiased as possible when reviewing these players’ film regardless of my personal feelings.
For all his weaknesses in regards to quickness, speed, and burst, especially with the ball in his hands, he still wins before the catch with physicality and technique. I find that to be more important and with NFL training it’s possible to improve that part of his skillset. London is also an exceptional blocker. He’s willing and able, I see him having a major impact in that regard.
London certainly stands apart from the rest of the class who are typically quick switch players who win off speed and acceleration. He’s already a top-eight rookie pick but I think he can rise even further considering I’ve seen him mocked to be drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions and would like to discuss them, you can reach out to me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF.
