Dynasty football managers have now shifted their attention to the offseason. It’s time to focus on team building, trades, and the incoming rookie class. Even if you haven’t consumed a ton of information on the incoming 2022 rookie class, don’t sweat it. We here at League Winners have you covered. As the lead-up to the NFL Draft continues, our staff will do our best to keep you in the know when it comes to the ‘22 rookie class. First up is wide receiver Drake London of the University of Southern California.
Let’s take out the binoculars and dive a little deeper into one of the best wide receiver prospects in this class.
Statistics
The 411
- Age- 20
- 6’5 210 Pounds
- Junior (Early declare)
- Estimated 40 time- 4.52
- 20% Breakout- Sophomore
- Weighted Dominator- 24.5% (Sophomore) 30.9% (Junior)
- Yards per team pass attempt- 1.89 (Sophomore) 2.28 (Junior)
Now that we have the stats and analytical data, let’s take a closer look into Drake London the player.
Drake Strong
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with physicality when talking about Drake London. He plays with a purpose on every down. London can probably be best described as having major edge. A competitive spirit. He worked mainly in the slot in 2020, but USC moved London to a more traditional “X” role in his Junior campaign and he thrived.
London is one of the best receivers in the country working the boundaries. He wins consistently on the perimeter. I talked about the edge he plays with. Consider this example A.
Ball Skills
London uses his size to win in contested catch situations. A lot of his tape you see him using his 6’5 frame winning one on one battles, exhibiting the ability to high point 50/50 balls. He possesses strong hands at the catch point and is a good deep ball tracker with solid body control.
Improved Route Runner
London doesn’t specialize in separation (we will get to that) but he has improved his route running over the course of his collegiate career. He’s often able to create enough space through solid technique in his release packages and footwork. I noticed a sizeable improvement in his ability to win off the line with a variety of different packages from his Sophomore to junior season.
Nice foot fire to set things up in this rep. London sells the inside with his shoulder and eyes. Sinks his hips and hard stickS with his front foot to get the cornerback off balance. Winning on these types of quick-outs became a common theme when watching. Also, another example of his tenacity finishing off plays seeking out contact. A physical finisher. You’re going to feel it the next day going up against Drake London for four quarters.
YAC Ability
London is an underrated athlete. He played basketball for USC his Freshman year as well. When watching London play, you can see how he’s translated his basketball skills to the football field.
He moves well for his size and has replicated the ability to make plays after the catch during his three years as a Trojan.
He’s not the most elusive player, but he shows the ability to make defenders miss and create on his own. More often than not, it takes a group of defenders to take London down.
Areas Of Improvement
It’s not a glaring weakness or anything, but creating separation isn’t Drake London’s greatest strength. He did a great job of improving that via route running in the intermediate areas of the field as a Junior. Vertical stretch plays downfield is where you see cornerbacks staying with him easier.
In this example, London faces an extremely aggressive cornerback. London looks to have a noticeable size advantage but the corner gets handsy with him off the line of scrimmage in press coverage. The cornerback has leverage on him for the length of the route. Occasionally you will see clashes like this where he gets taken off his route. If it weren’t for a career of 50/50 contested-catch wins in Drake London’s portfolio, I would be more concerned.
- Lateral agility. London plays a vertical game. Lateral movements aren’t as fluid.
- Would like to see him work back to his quarterback and the ball more often. There are moments where London stays flat out of breaks and doesn’t drive back to the ball aggressively.
- High-end speed. London has decent overall speed but lacks that extra gear. He likely won’t run a 40-yard dash due to his fractured ankle injury he’s recovering from.
Let’s Hear It From The Pros
Enough about me talking about Drake London, let’s see what the professionals are saying about his NFL future. Here’s Mel Kiper on London:
.@MelKiperESPN mocked @USC_FB WR Drake London (@DrakeLondon_) to the #Jets in his Mock Draft 1.0. He called him the ‘clear cut’ No. 1 WR in this draft class + has that ‘Mike Evans-Plaxico Burress’ frame + ‘freakish talent’: 🎥 First Draft w/ @FieldYates #TakeFlight #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/uh1LNzckhd
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) January 20, 2022
Projections
NFL Draft Capital– Mid to late first round
Team Fits– Chargers Jets Eagles Raiders
SF Rookie Projection– 1.08 to 1.12 range
One QB Rookie Projection– 1.04 to 1.08 range
Last Call
Overall, Drake London’s game checks off a lot of boxes. He’s a bit more of a throwback to the bigger alpha-size wide receivers.
All signs point to London receiving first-round draft capital this spring. Dynasty managers should be just as interested in London as the NFL appears to be. By the time he steps on the field at the next level for the first time, London will have just turned 21 years old.
The future seems bright.
* Stats provided by Michael Nelson and his database. You can follow Michael on Twitter @aNellytics
* GIF images provided by Dynasty Nerds
