Falcons Rookie WR Drake London: The Next Mike Evans?
Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London has high expectations as a top-10 pick and the first wideout off the board.
Underdog Fantasy's Josh Norris compares London to division rival Mike Evans.
"I think he was almost typecast as a contested-catch, jump-ball wide receiver, and that was so far from the truth for me," Norris said on the Ross Tucker Podcast. I thought he was … one, could operate in the slot really well. And two, just the shiftiness he had, it reminded me a lot of Mike Evans coming out of Texas A&M.”
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout may have not been the first wide receiver selected in the loaded 2014 draft class, Evans might be the most successful. Evans has reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of the first eight seasons of his career. This comes in a class that featured Odell Beckham Jr., Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson and Davante Adams.
If London reaches close to what Evans has been able to do in Tampa, Atlanta will have a great player.
London previewed what he could become in Atlanta during his three seasons at USC. While he was placed in a secondary role during his freshman and sophomore seasons, combining for 1,069 yards in 14 games, London broke out in his junior year as the top receiver in the offense. In just eight games, London caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
Given Atlanta's dilapidated receiver corps when London joined the Falcons, he'll immediately step into that WR1 role out the gate and have the potential to carry on the legacy of elite Falcons receivers.
