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The Atlanta Falcons entered the offseason with a subpar receiving core. This was further exasperated by the suspension of Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage signing in-division with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This led many analysts and experts to speculate on how early they would draft a wide receiver and how many they would draft. The Falcons wasted no time getting their guy, grabbing Drake London out of USC, eighth overall.
While it's obvious London will immediately become an important part of this team, there has been some discussion about how far and how quickly he can climb the depth chart. Below, you'll find information about the depth chart, London's college production, and his fantasy value for 2022.
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Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart
As mentioned above, the Falcons lost Ridley and Gage, who were certainly their two most proven receivers. Furthermore, after drafting London, they did not draft another receiver, instead electing to sign or trade for some very questionable players.
- Drake London
- Bryan Edwards
- Olamide Zaccheaus
- Auden Tate
- Damiere Byrd
- KhaDarel Hodge
- Cameron Batson
- Frank Darby
- Geronimo Allison
This is the first time it has ever felt necessary to include nine wide receivers in a depth chart but literally, any of the bottom six receivers could be cut and/or challenge for the third spot.
Having already found himself atop the depth chart according to most sites and sources, London is well on his way to earning a huge role in 2022. This is further evidenced by the career totals of the three options immediately behind him.
Career Statistics (Receptions/Yards/Touchdowns)
| Player | Games Played | Career Statistics | Season High |
| Bryan Edwards | 28 | 45/764/4 | 34/571/3 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | 38 | 54/795/5 | 31/406/3 |
| Auden Tate | 35 | 61/799/2 | 40/575/1 |
These numbers clearly depict journeyman receivers that would not typically find themselves competing to be at the top of a depth chart. It's very possible London surpasses each of their career statistics in this season alone, assuming he plays all 17 games.
Now that we can confidently lock London in as the Falcon's No. 1 receiver, let's turn to his college production and profile.
Drake London's College Career
Production
London played three seasons at USC before entering the NFL. He was explosive in all three seasons with yards per reception of 14.5 in 2019, 15.2 in 2020, and 12.3 in 2021 but last year was when he made his mark.
He finished his Junior year with 88 receptions for 1,084 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in only eight games. This phenomenal production combined with his athleticism and size is what lead many experts and analysts to tout London as the most talented receiver prospect in this year's class.
In addition to the injury that shortened his season, he also dealt with inconsistency from his quarterbacks on a losing team, further illustrating his impressive talent.
Talent
Pro Football Focus (PFF) provides positional grades that are recognized as a reliable measure of talent. London finished with a grade of 91.3, tying him with Wan'Dale Robinson for third overall among all college wide receivers in 2021.
Two areas he was particularly impactful were contested catches, where he led all receivers with 17, and missed tackles forced, where he finished eighth overall with 22, both of which were despite missing time. These pair well with his 6'4", 219-pound frame, making him a big target and huge red zone threat.
This will enable quarterback Marcus Mariota to locate him easily and allow London to take over as a playmaker with the ball in his hands.
Draft Capital
The Falcons could have drafted a key piece for their team at a number of different positions given all their needs. So electing to spend that eighth overall pick on London indicates their belief in him and the value they expect him to add to the offense. On top of that, they had their choice of any wide receiver in the class and chose London.
He will be the focal point of this offense along with sophomore tight end Kyle Pitts.
Drake London's 2022 Fantasy Football Value
As a top-two target in this offense, it's fair to wonder what that will actually amount to for fantasy. The simplest way to create a projection for London is to utilize Mariota's prior statistics and consider the current outlook of the team.
Volume
In his two full seasons as a starter, Mariota averaged 30 passing attempts per game, which would be a season-long pace of 510 attempts. Matt Ryan passed threw the ball 560 times last year so it would be reasonable to project about 500-550 available targets for the receiving core, particularly because they will be in a negative game script more often than not. Mariota also averaged about 222 passing yards per game, which would be a full season pace of 3,774 yards and just below Ryan's 3,968 in 2021.
Pitts finished his rookie campaign with 110 targets and 1,026 receiving yards. He figures to see a slight increase without Ridley or Gage present, so around 150 targets and 1100-1300 yards seems fair. Even if Pitts were to receive 150 targets and 1,300 yards, that still leaves plenty of opportunity for London to see north of 100 targets and push for 1,000 receiving yards himself.
With minimal competition beyond Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson out of the backfield, the volume will be there for London.
Red Zone
Here you see London showcasing his contested catch ability in the red zone.
Much like Pitts, London profiles as a red zone threat with double-digit touchdown upside in the right offense. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be that offense, especially after Pitts only had one touchdown all of last season.
Mariota averaged 1.3 passing touchdowns per game as a starter, which would project as 22 over a full season. Although this is not enough to get too excited, it would still allow London to catch between five and seven touchdowns in his rookie year.
When you put this all together, it would be reasonable for London to finish in the WR20-24 range, with a similar final line as Tee Higgins, who was the WR22 in half-PPR scoring last year with 74 receptions for 1,091 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
Conclusion
London was the first receiver off the board, taken eighth overall in this year's draft. He will immediately step in as the Falcons WR1 and a top-two target alongside tight end Pitts. This sets him up for a solid rookie season as a top-36 wide receiver with top-24 upside.
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