Despite Early Exit, Falcons Rookie WR Drake London Flashes Potential

London exited early with a knee injury but showed Falcons fans what to expect from him.

As the Atlanta Falcons enter a new era in their franchise, fans are looking towards their young offensive weapons for a glimpse of hope in the future. 

Drafting receiver Drake London with their No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft showed that the Falcons are looking to the future with their offense. London joins 2021 first round pick tight end Kyle Pitts in what the Falcons hope becomes an explosive duo of weapons. 

London looked the part early in his first preseason action for the Falcons, hauling in a 24-yard strike from quarterback Marcus Mariota to convert a 1st-and-20. However that honeymoon feeling Falcons had was short lived as London was shaken up after the play, and would exit the game with a knee injury. 

While the Falcons await updates on the severity of London's injury, they should be pleased with what they saw, albeit only one catch. He showed an ability to bring the ball in and turn up the field quickly, picking up the extra yards after the catch that will be crucial for this Atlanta offense. 

One only needs to look at London's stats from his final season at USC, where in only eight games he would bring in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. London, who missed the end of the 2021 season with a fractured right ankle, would be named the 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.

There is a chance London gets labeled with a premature injury prone label after suffering an injury in his first preseason action, but fans should ignore that. If he can show what he did on his lone catch throughout his rookie season then the Falcons have a deadly duo of offensive weapons to work with as they continue their rebuild.