Drake London, Wide Receiver, USC: 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Evan Bruner
Drake London enters the 2022 NFL Draft as one of the most complete and pro-ready prospects.
Name: Drake London
Position: WR
School: USC
Height: 6’5
Weight: 210 pounds
Background
Drake London attended Moorpark High School in Moorpark, California, where he was a two-sport standout. Along with being one of the best wide receivers in the state, London was also a star basketball player averaging 29 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior. London stayed in state and committed to USC to play both football and basketball.
London may not have known what sport he was going to pursue at the next level when he enrolled at USC, but it didn’t take him very long to figure out football was his calling. London left the basketball team his sophomore season, and the decision certainly paid off.
Stats
London’s stats may not be that staggering at first, but once you realize how few games he played in, it’s hard not to be impressed. Due to COVID in 2020 and an injury in 2021, London never played in more than eight games in a season.
Even with limited playing time, Drake London made a massive impact on the Trojans. In his true freshman season, he caught 38 passes for 567 yards and five touchdowns, followed by a 33 catch 502 yard, and three touchdown season in 2020.
It wasn’t until 2021 that London established himself as one of the best receivers in the country. Despite the subpar quarterback play, London put up 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in only eight games before an ankle fracture ended his season.
Even with the injury-shortened season, London did more than enough to solidly himself as a top receiver in this class. If all goes right in the pre-draft process, there is a real possibility he could be the first receiver off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Scouting report
You don’t have to watch much tape to get a feel for the type of player Drake London is. In fact, just knowing his measurables and basketball background should give you a pretty good idea of what he brings to the table.
Being 6’5″ doesn’t guarantee elite contested catch ability, but it sure doesn’t hurt. London not only has elite size, but he also knows how to use it to his advantage. He has shown time and time again the ability to high point the ball and outmuscle defensive backs at the point of the catch. This is where London’s basketball background is most apparent and could have him mistaken for a tight end.
For a bigger receiver, London has very good foot speed. He runs a complete route tree and gets separation at the top of his routes. London also displays solid feel for the game. He gets leverage on his defender when facing man coverage and finds soft spots in the defense when facing zone.
Despite lacking high-end speed, London can still come up with splash plays. He has excellent burst for someone his size and is able to get upfield in a hurry. This is why he was such a productive receiver in the screen game at USC. Additionally, London’s physicality makes him nearly impossible to bring down on first contact. He’s too fast for most linebackers and too strong for most defensive backs. Even at the next level, this will be an advantage London can exploit.
London’s contested catch ability can be utilized anywhere, but it’s especially useful downfield and in the red zone. London has mastered the art of being open when covered. Even when the defender is in a good position to make a play on the ball, London’s rare blend of body control and ball skills serve as the ultimate trump card.
The main knock regarding London is speed. the aforementioned size physicality comes at the expense of speed and lateral quickness. London received an invite to this year’s scouting combine in March and all indications are that he will be healed up by then.
The 40-yard dash will be a key to determining London’s 2022 NFL Draft position. We all know that he isn’t particularly fast, but being able to put a number to it will be helpful for teams. If he runs in the high 4.5 to low 4.6 range, it puts him in Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and Michael Thomas territory. Anything slower than that, however, could scare teams away.
A small area of concern pertaining to London is drops. London had eight drops on 96 catchable passes in 2021. Although drop numbers tend to fluctuate from year to year, an 8.3% drop rate is a tad higher than you’d ideally want from someone who is competing for WR1 status in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Final thoughts
London’s best fit in the NFL is as an outside receiver in a vertical offense. He brings a skill set that isn’t terribly common at the moment. There are plenty of jump-ball receivers that make their way into the league, but I don’t know if I’ve seen one as good as London.
Drake London doesn’t need to be a speedster for his game to translate to the next level. He is good enough in the other aspects of his game to make up for it. The most common comparisons I’ve heard for London are current Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and former all-pro Brandon Marshall. That’s some pretty scary upside for a player that doesn’t turn 21 until July, and that’ll be on the minds of many teams in the 2022 NFL Draft.