It took longer than usual, but we finally got a fantasy-relevant player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft as the Atlanta Falcons selected receiver Drake London eighth overall.
London -- who is 6-foot-4 --got on the field right away at USC and had a breakout age of 18.1, a 100th-percentile mark, per PlayerProfiler. He also racked up a 27.3% final-year target share, which ranks in the 81st percentile. London went for 88 catches and 1,084 yards with 7 touchdowns in 2021.
What kind of player is Atlanta getting?
Player Comparisons
numberFire's Brandon Gdula breaks down London's profile and gives a top comparison.
Drake London's comp? Tee Higgins
Although London is HUGE at 6'4", @gdula13 likes the versatility he can add to the Falcons' offense pic.twitter.com/fc5BGTogSn
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 29, 2022
Gdula's draft database has found these 10 prior prospects to have the most similar statistical profiles to London’s. Keep in mind that these are based not on play style or traits but age, athleticism, draft equity, experience, efficiency, and production.
| Rank | Drake London Profile Comparisons | Similarity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tee Higgins | 91.2% |
| 2 | Michael Floyd | 91.2% |
| 3 | AJ Green | 88.7% |
| 4 | Michael Pittman Jr. | 88.4% |
| 5 | Bryan Edwards | 87.7% |
| 6 | Mike Evans | 87.5% |
| 7 | Laquon Treadwell | 87.1% |
| 8 | Mike Williams | 86.9% |
| 9 | Courtland Sutton | 86.3% |
| 10 | Cody Latimer | 85.7% |
Gdula's Take: London is a big receiver in a class comprised heavily of smaller receivers. A former basketball player, London's tape shows contested-catch ability. But he's not only a deep threat. London was utilized at USC in myriad ways. High volume and high efficiency are both possible from London in the NFL.
Drake London's 2022 Fantasy Football Projection
Gdula’s initial projections for London include 79 catches, 920 receiving yards and 4.8 touchdowns -- making him the PPR WR34 for the season.
Those numbers may seem a little bold -- and it's important to note that those are initial projections -- but with Calvin Ridley suspended, London should be thrust into a high-volume role pretty quickly. He definitely fills a big need for Atlanta.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Falcons are listed at +18000 to win the Super Bowl -- the second-worst odds -- and +1900 to take the NFC South, and they have a win total projection of 5.5 on FOX Bet.