Drake London - NFL Draft Rookie Profile

The 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile series features prominent 2022 NFL Draft prospects with film analysis and scouting insights. I have experience working in college football and have been studying the NFL Draft for over 15 years. My analysis is based on film study and analytics. In 2021, I profiled nine of the top skill players in the draft. So far this season, I have written up profiles on Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson, Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, Liberty QB Malik Willis, and North Carolina QB Sam Howell.

A common misconception about the NFL Draft is that the college and pro games are very similar. They are not. Besides the obvious difference in speed and skill level, a college field has different hash mark distances and different rules. There are specific schemes and plays that NFL teams copy from college and vice versa. But the differences between the two are understated in NFL Draft analysis. There's a reason many highly-productive college players are not considered legitimate professionals.

To that end, scouting prospects is not just about evaluating college performance, it’s about projecting traits that translate to the next level. This is not limited to just physical traits. There are certain football traits that are evident in college film and will translate to the pro game. For example, a wide receiver being able to get in and out of breaks efficiently will not change from college to pro. On the flip side, an edge rusher who got most of his sacks due to hustle or missed offensive line assignments may not have shown translatable traits on film. We will continue our 2022 Prospect Profile series with USC WR Drake London.

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Drake London - NFL Rookie Profile

Drake London is a 6-4, 219-pound WR prospect with a 77.75-inch wingspan that shows on the field with a large catch radius. He was the focal point of the USC offense in 2021, catching 88 passes for 1084 yards and seven touchdowns as a Junior. Declaring early at just 20-years-old with a 99th percentile breakout age, London is a strong prospect from an analytical standpoint. The film shows a tall, long, talented player with the tools to be an alpha at the next level. He's not a finished product and doesn't have ideal long speed, but he has huge potential. Let's dive in.

 

Bully Ball

Drake London was listed incorrectly at 6-5, 210 pounds at USC. He was also on the Trojans basketball team. Of course, NFL teams struggle to deal with players who have even a tiny bit of interest in anything outside of football, so there were whispers about how his slender frame might be a weakness. In fairness, many tall and light highly drafted receivers have busted over the years, so that prototype is right to be questioned. However, London came in at 219 pounds at the combine and is just 20-years- old. More importantly, he doesn't appear to lack functional strength on film. In fact, his physicality shines through.

The first clip I present to you on this fantasy football website - the potential WR1 in this class... blocking!

The key here is that USC coaches trusted their star WR as a lead blocker. London's initial strike shows good inside hand placement and hip drive. He could have done a better job moving his feet and finishing the block, but you can see the traits that translate - functional strength, competitiveness, and understanding leverage. London was well above average as a blocker in relation to his peers.

But can he catch the ball?

Yes. The clip above shows London playing some bully ball, wrestling away the ball from a defender in a contested-catch situation. Notice the grip strength of his left hand. He can be a high-point beast.

The clip below shows more strong hands from London as he does a terrific job adjusting to the back-shoulder ball and surviving the ground to complete the catch.

London is just a hair under 6-4, and his ability to catch in traffic, gain separation with his wingspan, high-point the ball, and bully defenders makes him comparable to Mike Evans. Some may think that's a lazy comparison, but that really was the first name I thought of when watching his film. He's not as tall or heavy as Evans, but they both are pure playmakers who use their length to their advantage.

 

Route-Running and Separation

London has yet to run a 40-yard dash and doesn't appear to have blazing long speed on film. However, he is extremely quick for his size. There are some instances on film of him not getting much separation down the field due to a lack of great long speed, but he gets plenty of separation on various types of routes and breakpoints all over the field. Getting separation won't be an issue at the next level.

The clip below shows a simple three-step slant against inside leverage off the corner. First, notice how he gains ground on his first step, making the corner respect him vertically. His gait out of his stance forces the corner to start turning his hips, which means he has lost right there. But the really important note here is how quick London RUNS out of his break. The ankle flexion and hip fluidity he shows is rare for a guy his size. I also love the head-snap out of the break.

The clip below shows a pretty out-and-up against the same poor Notre Dame CB. Just watch how he sells the out with great posture and lean and explodes upfield, clearly varying his tempo. You don't need to be a scout or coach to see the separation. He also finishes with a strongly contested catch.

The clip below shows London working against a motor press man (CB doesn't use his hands). London runs a beautiful nine-yard stop route. He sells vertical, then slams on the breaks, dips his hips, and gains three yards of separation.

Another detail I look for with skill position players is how often they are so balanced and smart that they can make a play and not fall to the ground. The corner in the clip above forces him out of bounds, but gives up yards after the catch and can't bring him to the ground. Remember, it's about traits more than results.

London is pretty good after the catch but likely won't be a RAC demon in the NFL. He'll fight for extra yards and occasionally make someone miss, but that's likely won't be a huge part of his NFL game. However, you can see his athleticism on the clip below, as he hurdles over the tackle attempt for six. Special professionals do things like that.

 

Speed of the Pro Game

The Pac-12 isn't the best conference in college football and unfortunately, we didn't get to see London match up with CBs Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon of Washington this year. Bullying Pac-12 corners is one thing, dealing with Tre'Davious White and Jalen Ramsey is another. All college WRs will have to adjust, but it can be especially difficult for bigger guys who don't have great speed to begin with.

The clip below shows London running a stutter-and-go, actually influencing the CB to stop his feet, and still getting capped. It's a great recovery and head-turn by the CB, but it shows the lack of separating speed down the field. I also don't love his judgment of the ball, physicality at the catch-point, or height of his jump. It's not a good rep.

The clip below shows another missed connection, this time down in the red zone. London takes a hop release and does get even with the CB, but the throw has to be absolutely perfect because of his wide split to the boundary. The very best WRs will be able to subtly push off so the CB can't get his hand to play your hands. London had inconsistent hands on film, including some drops.

The clip below shows a drop on a slant. Dropping a few passes on film is generally overrated (in the NFL most of the league leaders in drops are usually some of the best receivers), but he really needs to clean up that part of his game. He needs to secure the catch with his eyes, then look to run. One of London's drops resulted in a pick-six.

Inconsistent hands are London's biggest on-field weakness, and at just 20-years-old, concentration drops are very fixable. However, the real main concern about London's translation to the league relates to his slender frame and staying on the field. London suffered a fractured ankle in October and was unable to participate at the combine. He should be cleared for his rookie season, but whenever a player with thin ankles has lower-body injuries that cause him to miss time, it's a concern. Teddy Bridgewater had thin ankles and struggled with lower-body injuries at various points, especially early in his career.

 

NFL Outlook

Drake London has the size, competitiveness, quickness, and play-making ability to develop into an alpha WR in the NFL. If he can limit the drops and continue to work on his game, he should have no issue producing in all areas of the field, including the red zone. I have no doubts about his ability to separate, as his quickness and understanding of breakpoints is advanced for a 20-year-old. He also knows how to find softs spots against zone coverage.

Just watching the film with no football knowledge, you can see the space he creates. His length is also a huge positive. The interesting thing about London's film is that his highs are really highs and his lows are really low. That sort of wide range of performance underscores his young age and lack of consistent football experience.

The key with London will be staying on the field. He only played in 22 games at USC, so there may be some growing pains. He can fit in any scheme and should have no issue carving out long-term fantasy value. I'm still in the process of scouting and ranking all the WRs, but London is currently my WR2 by a small margin. A sub-4.5 40 would make it tough to keep him out of the top two. A 40 in the 4.55 range would be just fine, and anything over 4.6 would be a little concerning. He's slated to run on April 5th.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more draft content in the coming days.

Other Prospect Profiles:

Malik Willis - QB, Liberty

Kenny Pickett - QB, Pittsburgh

Sam Howell - QB, North Carolina

Garrett Wilson - WR, Ohio State

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