Atlanta Falcons News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Dec 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) warms up on the field prior to the game against the New York Giants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta Falcons' Drake London: Top 10 Wide Receiver In NFL?

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Kyron Samuels | Last updated May 24, 2025 10:39 AM ET

Ranking position players in the NFL is always a tedious proposition. When it comes to weighing skillsets and placing a value on what’s important at a position like wide receiver, it can be increasingly difficult to begin figuring out where to place players.

With a player like former USC Trojans Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Drake London, who was bubbling in his first two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before exploding for a career-best season last year, it can be difficult when stacking him up against other standouts.

On Pro Football Focus' ranking of the best wide receivers in the NFL, London came in at No. 11 overall, just missing out on the top 10. After having one of the best statistical seasons out of any receiver in the league, should London have been inside or the top 10 or even higher? It’s a fair question to ask.

Previous years may or may not have an influence on the way these lists shake out, as well as projection into the 2025 season, which could look drastically different from player to player.

“London has been a standout since entering the league in 2022. His cumulative WAR of 1.21 over the past three seasons ranks 12th among wide receivers, and his 90.1 receiving grade in 2024 was fifth best in the league,” PFF writer Trevor Sikkema said.

London finished last season with 100 receptions, 1,271 receiving yards, and nine receiving touchdowns. Those marks ranked ninth, fourth, and ninth in the NFL, respectively. Factoring in London shares targets with a legitimate wide receiver two, one of the best receiving running backs in the NFL, and a viable threat at tight end, it makes the numbers all the more impressive.

"Drake is a dog," Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said in January. "That's the best way to describe him, whether it's practice field, whether it's meetings, whether it's game. He is so competitive, hyper competitive, that it's good that he has these emotions that happen with it. Sometimes he can channel them and even be a little better. But then you're like, 'Man, that's what makes you go.'"

When talking about receivers, the blocking aspect gets left out most of the time, but it shouldn’t. The amount of time spent without the ball far exceeds the time when receivers have the ball. Being able to impact the game when you aren’t the primary target is of utmost importance, and when you are as productive as London is receiving the ball as well, you get a top ten wide receiver in the NFL.

"Everybody knows that when the ball is snapped, No. 5 is going to be giving everything he's got, every single snap, whether he's blocking, running around, catching, run after catch," Robinson said. "He's an incredible football player and another guy that's just going to keep getting better."

London doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, but if he continues to stack the type of seasons he’s capable of, he’ll become undeniable.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: