Titans First Round Options: Drake London

Stoney Keeley breaks down the best contested catch guy in the draft class, Drake London, on this edition of Titans First Round Options.

Share This Post

The 2022 NFL Draft takes place April 28-30 this year, emanating LIVE from Las Vegas, Nevada. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 26th overall selection. Over the next few months, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to, have met with, or who make sense for the Titans. Today, we’re lookin’ at USC Trojans wide receiver Drake London.

I said a week or so ago that this wide receiver class was pretty polarizing – there are a lot of WR2s and not a lot of WR1s. London may have the highest floor of the group, and that ultimately could be what gets him drafted first among the group. But, like the class as a whole, London is pretty polarizing in where the experts seem to think he could go. I’ve seen him mocked inside the top five picks. I’ve seen him mocked to the Titans at #26. I finally got around to studying London, and ultimately, that’s how we got here (though the closer we get to the draft, the more convinced I am that the Titans will take an offensive lineman and studying wide receivers for this team feels futile).

London has elite size – 6’4″ and 220 pounds, and he has the accomplished career to go with it. After sitting behind some USC receivers that happen to be in the NFL now, he got his chance to shine in 2021. He took the ball and ran with it. After earning 2nd Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2020, he snagged 1st Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2021, and finished the season as the Pac 12’s Offensive Player of the Year. Since this draft class started producing tremors, London has been at the forefront of the conversation about its best receiver.

And, I get it – with his size and some of the ridiculous catches he’s put on film Mossin’ dudes, it’s easy to get caught up in his 50-50 contested catch ability. That’s why he’s drawing comparisons to Mike Evans. But, there’s a savvy and nuance to his game that I don’t think people are truly appreciating. What I love most about London’s game is how he jukes DBs from the snap to set up his routes down the field. I think he does more at the line of scrimmage to get open down field than maybe any other receiver in this class. He’s an underrated route runner. As for physical traits outside of his size, London has great ball tracking ability, body control, and great hands. He can be a valuable security blanket for whoever his quarterback is, as he has a demonstrated propensity for working back to the ball on film. And, while he’s not necessarily shifty in the open field, he plays with concrete in his cleats. When he plants his feet in the dirt, he’s hard to bring down.

What I think keeps London from being a slam dunk for the WR1 spot in this draft, and really, what’s keeping him from being one of the all-time elite receiver prospects is speed and separation. Where I think the Evans and Julio Jones (lol) comparisons are way too lofty is in how London creates separation. It’s in his DB manipulation and his route savvy – not pure speed. I don’t think that London is the type of wideout that you can just send streaking down the field and bank on him being wide open. Maybe that’s a nitpick on my part. But, I just don’t see the pure separation skills that would warrant such eyebrow-raising comparisons. London could very well be the best wideout to come out of this draft, but we’re being unrealistic if we’re calling him a Hall of Famer already.

I don’t think that London will be there for the Titans at #26. Someone is going to fall in love with his floor, and I think he’ll be gone within the top 15 picks. He’s not exactly what the Titans passing game is lacking right now – personally, I’d like to see more of an element of pure speed at the wide receiver position. Plus, he’s not the most physical of blockers, and we all know the Titans value that tremendously. Would he play well as a WR2 or WR3 here in Nashville? Sure – I wouldn’t complain about that. I just don’t think London is exactly what the Titans will be looking for in this draft.

Further Reading: Drake London Is Proving to Be NFL’s Biggest 1st-Round WR Risk

2022 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to The Unofficial Titans Podcast on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.