Drake London showed a glimpse of what the Falcons’ offense could look like in 2022 in the team’s preseason opener against Detroit last week. On a simple drag route, London took a pass from Marcus Mariota 24 yards before being tackled out of bounds.
Thankfully, the injury doesn’t seem serious because London is set to have a massive impact in Smith’s offense. With Kyle Pitts drawing most of the attention, London will have the opportunity to match up against opposing defenses’ second or third-best corners. The No. 8 overall pick has decent odds to win the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award, and former Falcons legend Roddy White believes he will accomplish that this season.
“Drake is coming along great,” White said via The Falcoholic. ”He’s learning each and every week. He’s been there, he’s been getting better, [I’m] watching his development, man, and just talking to him, he’s coming along just fine. And I think he’ll be ready. He’s gonna make a lot of plays. I got him winning Rookie of the Year this year. I really do.”
Kyle Pitts gave Ja’Marr Chase a run for his money in last year’s Rookie of the Year race, but the Bayou Bengal was undoubtedly the best first-year player a season ago. London will have to have a similar season as Chase because the field is impressive. Outside of the potential rookie quarterbacks who could win, there is a bevy of skill players that have a shot — Treylon Burks, Breece Hall, Christian Watson, Garrett Wilson, Kenneth Walker III, Chris Olave, Skyy Moore, etc.
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