Drake London

American football player (born 2001)

American football player
Drake London
refer to caption
London with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022
No. 5 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (2001-07-24) July 24, 2001 (age 23)
Moorpark, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:Moorpark
College:USC (2019–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
  • Atlanta Falcons (2022–present)
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:141
Receiving yards:1,771
Receiving touchdowns:6
Player stats at PFR

Drake London (born July 24, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was selected eighth overall by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

London attended Moorpark High School in Moorpark, California. He played football and basketball in high school.[1] As a senior on the football team, he had 62 receptions for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a senior in basketball he averaged 29.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. London committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play both football and basketball.[2][3][4]

College career

London #15 celebrates with Amon-Ra St. Brown while at USC.

As a true freshman in football, London started nine of 13 games, recording 39 receptions for 567 yards and five touchdowns.[5][6] As a freshman in basketball, he played in three games and had three rebounds. He returned to the football team as a sophomore in 2020 as one of the team's top receivers.[7] London was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.[8] During Southern Cal's eighth game of the 2021 season, London fractured his right ankle, forcing him to miss the rest of the year.[9] London declared for the 2022 NFL draft following the season.[10]

College statistics

Season Team GP Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD
2019 USC 13 39 567 14.5 5 0 0 0.0 0
2020 USC 6 33 502 15.2 3 0 0 0.0 0
2021 USC 8 88 1,084 12.3 7 1 2 2.0 0
Total 27 160 2,153 13.5 15 1 2 2.0 0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 		219 lb
(99 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]
London in 2022

London was selected eight overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft.[13] He was the first wide receiver taken.[14]

London made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints where he had five receptions for 74 yards.[15] In Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, London had a season-high eight receptions for 86 yards and recorded his first professional touchdown on a four-yard reception from Marcus Mariota.[16] In Week 18 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, London recorded his first 100-yard receiving game in the NFL, having six receptions for 120 yards, including a season-long 40 yard reception, in the 30–17 win.[17]

London finished his rookie season with 72 receptions for 866 yards and four touchdowns.[18] London's 72 catches set a rookie reception record for the Falcons, surpassing the mark previously set by Kyle Pitts.[19]

In Week 6 of the 2023 season, London had nine receptions for 125 yards in the loss to the Washington Commanders.[20] In Week 14 against the Buccaneers, he had ten receptions for 172 yards in the loss.[21] In his second season, London appeared in and started 16 games. He finished with 69 receptions for 905 yards and two touchdowns.[22]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career High
Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2022 ATL 17 15 72 866 12.0 40 4 3 3
2023 ATL 16 16 69 905 13.1 45 2 0 0
Career 33 31 141 1,771 12.6 45 6 3 3

References

  1. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (August 7, 2018). "Moorpark receiver Drake London has ambitions of playing two sports in college". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Fattel, Tarek (June 28, 2018). "Moorpark's Drake London commits to play football and basketball at USC". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Ledin, Loren (April 13, 2019). "Moorpark's Drake London is singularly equipped to play football and basketball at USC". Ventura County Star. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Ledin, Loren (April 14, 2019). "California high school star set to play football and basketball at USC". USATodayHSS.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Grosbard, Adam (January 9, 2020). "How USC's Drake London is making the transition from football to basketball". OC Register. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Kartje, Ryan (November 18, 2019). "Drake London proves against California why he could be USC's next star". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  7. ^ Kartje, Ryan (October 15, 2020). "Drake London looks to play an important, and still evolving, role for USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Zemek, Matt (December 7, 2021). "Drake London voted Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year despite missing 1 month". Trojans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Hirschhorn, Jason B. (April 27, 2022). "When will WR prospect Drake London be able to play?". DraftKings Nation. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "USC wide receiver Drake London declares for 2022 NFL Draft". The Athletic. December 8, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Drake London Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Drake London, Southern California NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. ^ "Falcons select Drake London with No. 8 overall 2022 NFL Draft pick". Atlanta Falcons. April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  16. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams - September 18th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - January 8th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  18. ^ "Drake London 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Choate, Dave (January 8, 2023). "Drake London sets Falcons rookie reception record". The Falcoholic. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  20. ^ "Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons - October 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  21. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - December 10th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "Drake London 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drake London.
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  • USC Trojans bio Archived July 16, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
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