USC WR Drake London

6-foot-4
219 pounds

Yahoo Sports' 2022 NFL draft grade

6.27 — possible first-rounder; possible immediate starter

TL;DR scouting report

Long, highly athletic target who attacked all three levels of the field and is still developing at age 20

The skinny

A 4-star Rivals recruit (No. 229 nationally) in the Class of 2019 — see more below in "Did You Know" section — London chose football over basketball and picked the Trojans over a host of suitors. As a true freshman in 2019, he started 9 of 13 games, catching 39 receptions for 567 yards with five TDs. In 2020, London caught 33 passes for 502 yards with three TDs in six starts. London finished off his career with 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven scores, plus a 2-yard run. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury vs. Cal and later declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

Upside

• Terrific size and length — ideal dimensions, along with 33-inch arms

• Uses his big frame to box out smaller defenders on contested catches

• Springy, basketball-type athleticism to play above the rim

• Surprising shake in his step — unusual wiggle for a receiver his size

• Adept at making first man miss after the catch, especially on quick hitters

• Outstanding catch radius and body control over the middle, near the sideline

• Shows great concentration on tough catches in traffic — takes a hit and hangs on

• Works back to the ball and gives friendly target zone

• Sits down nicely in zones but also licks chops vs. man

• Terrific ball skills that will translate to NFL

• Caught passes from four different starting QBs in three seasons

• Absurd volume in 2021 — averaged 14.9 targets, 11 catches per game

• Saw nearly 25% target share in 2021

• Ate up man coverage when he saw it

• Became highly trusted security blanket for true freshman QB

• True three-level weapon, attacking all parts of the field

• Used as kick-out blocker on some run plays

• Won't turn 21 years old until training camp — massive upside left to mine

• Broke out at age 18, portending better chances to make NFL impact

• Used as "Hail Mary" defender in end-of-half situations

• Said to be a good worker, focused and driven

Downside

• Did not work out at NFL combine

• Speed appears to be more of the gear-up variety

• Below-average hand size (9 3/8 inches)

• Suffered season-ending ankle injury after eight games in 2021

• Almost never lined up wide on right side of field

• Too many concentration drops, mostly on quick hitters

• Played lot as "big slot" first two years — majority of his exterior snaps came in 2021

• Average depth of target was less than 10 yards two of three seasons

• Inconsistent run blocker — some decent reps, some half-hearted ones

• Only 22 college games — still relatively inexperienced

Best-suited destination

We view London as an "X" or "big slot" receiver capable of usage similar to what he saw in college: plenty of quick-hitting stuff, attacking the sidelines and middle of the field and occasional deep shots. He still has some tools to add to his bag, and London's development could be aided if he was not thrust into a WR1 role immediately. But we believe he'll eventually get there. London is too gifted to fail without extenuating circumstances.

Did you know

London was a two-sport star at Moorpark High School — football and basketball. In addition to being a 4-star recruit in football, he also was a 4-star basketball recruit who averaged 29.2 points and 11.9 rebounds as a senior and drew attention from the likes of Virginia and Georgetown. London chose football with the Trojans ... but ate his cake, too. After his freshman year in football was finished, he joined the hoops team, playing two games (six minutes) in conference play.

Player comp

He's been compared to his former USC teammate, Michael Pittman Jr., but we see a lot of Courtland Sutton in London's game.

Expected draft range

First-round pick, perhaps top 20 overall