Every year there are a few physical specimens that come out of the draft that looks like they thrive at just about any sport. This year, USC WR Drake London is that guy. The 6’4 receiver who is 6’5 on a good day just looks bigger and stronger than everyone on the football field. He has 33” long arms and is an old school, number one X-receiver. While London may not be the most versatile receiver that can line up anywhere on the football field, coaches know what they are going to get out of him. He is going to line up on the line of scrimmage as the X-receiver and use his physicality and size to win his matchup. With that being said, USC did move him around a little bit and put him off the ball. London is capable of being a flanker and being used in motion, but I see him primarily being a number one, outside receiver.

The first thing I can’t help but see when watching receivers is if they pass the eye test, and there is no question that London passes the eye test. He is physically dominant and his size is extremely intimidating. Long, lengthy guys tend to lack coordination, but London has phenomenal body control for his size and can contort his body to make some crazy catches. One thing he does better than any receiver in this draft is fight with his hands throughout his routes. Defensive backs try to get their hands on him because he has such a large frame, but London does a phenomenal job at slapping their hands down. At the top of his routes, London consistently uses his hands to gain separation with a legal push-off. This is where his strength and physicality come into play. When the ball is in the air, London attacks it like he is going up for a rebound. London is an alpha at the point of attack, and in the NFL I see him being a number one receiver. In the red zone, it is hard to find a better weapon than London— whoever is throwing him the football should be giving him chances at jump balls and back-shoulder passes. When it comes to route running, London isn’t perfect, but he has mastered the technique of stemming cornerbacks and attacking their blindspots. The dog comes out of London when he is blocking and after the catch. He has that nasty in him, and coaches are going to love that about him.

In an age where every team is looking for the next Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel, versatility has been prioritized more than ever. With Drake London, I can see him being limited as an outside receiver that doesn’t move around a lot; however, teams can find creative ways to get him off the line and use motions to help him generate separation. While London has that dog in him after the catch and constantly gains more yards than he should, he does lack explosion. He doesn’t have the breakaway speed that a lot of teams look for in the modern-day NFL. When it comes to getting off the line, London tends to do too much with his releases. If he is able to become more technical and intentional with his releases then he won’t have to make as many crazy, contested catches. London is an exciting player, but only certain coaches will be able to bring out that excitement.

It is hard to find an alpha dog number one wideout and that is exactly what Drake London offers a team. He is a guy that quarterbacks can just throw the ball up to and make 50-50 balls look like 70-30. I believe Drake London’s potential is Mike Evans, but it is going to take him some time to get there. First, he’ll need to be more precise with his release package and learn how to generate separation at the top of his routes without using his hands. He will be able to out-physical a lot of defensive backs, but I am curious to see how he’ll fare against physical defensive backs that will be aggressive every play. I also think a lot of defensive backs will be able to sit on his routes because he isn’t super explosive. While Mike Evans is the upside, I think he will take on a similar role to Chase Claypool for his first few years. The Falcons, Texans, and Bears are all great spots for Drake London who should be a ten-target-per-game type of receiver. London is a fun receiver to watch and will be on the “my guys” list by the end of this draft process.