FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Drake London was analytical about it. Sitting at his locker one afternoon in December, his rookie season near over, he had the understanding of somebody a lot older.
He’d been the No. 1 broad receiver in an NFL offense from the primary sport. He was a first-round draft choose of the Atlanta Falcons. There have been issues he was happy with from his first foray into skilled soccer.
Total? He wasn’t tremendous enthusiastic about any of it.
“Respectable,” London informed ESPN. “Ain’t nothing greater than first rate, nothing lower than first rate.”
What does first rate imply to a 21-year-old out of USC who spent his NFL draft prep recovering from a damaged ankle and his first NFL season throughout the nation from Southern California, the place he additionally grew up?
“There’s lots that is left on the desk, personally, for me. That I believe that I can do higher, a number of studying curves, studying moments that I’ve had that I can develop from,” London mentioned. “So I would not sit up right here and inform you, ‘Oh, that is superb, that is precisely what I wished, the 12 months that I wished.’ However on the similar time, I am not going to inform you that I had a horrible 12 months. You realize what I am saying.
“With that being mentioned, I took it as first rate. I am doing my job. I am doing it considerably effectively for my circumstances, and all I can do is go ahead from there and simply preserve progressing.”
London set a Falcons franchise rookie document for receptions (72) in a run-heavy offense. He had 866 receiving yards and chemistry together with his fellow rookie quarterback, Desmond Ridder, that grew to become a vivid spot over the season’s last 4 video games.
London had his high two yardage video games — together with his first 100-yard sport in a 120-yard efficiency within the season finale — with Ridder at quarterback.
After being focused greater than seven instances simply twice in his first 13 video games, Ridder focused London eight instances or extra in all 4 of their video games collectively. In three of these 4 video games, he averaged 10 or extra yards per reception. His high two yards-per-target video games (10.67 yards towards Baltimore and 15 yards towards Tampa) got here with Ridder because the quarterback, too.
Earlier than the change from Marcus Mariota to Ridder, London had grow to be the first move goal after tight finish Kyle Pitts suffered a season-ending knee damage towards Chicago on Nov. 20. London had a 31% goal share in 2022 — fourth within the league behind Miami’s Tyreek Hill, the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown — and had just one credited drop.
The coaches anticipated London to win contested balls and block effectively on run performs from after they drafted him. All through the season, they noticed enchancment in his route working and his launch.
Someplace between Week 5 and Week 7, receivers coach T.J. Yates mentioned London understood the offense sufficient that pre-play grew to become extra of what they hoped it could: defensive fact-finding as an alternative of his personal offensive placement.
“You are going into recon mode,” Yates mentioned. “You begin in search of formation indicators — is it man, is it zone, is it shell? No matter it’s, and then you definately go right down to your particular person matchups of how does this man play press, what are the various things that he does, to higher make it easier to when you get into these routes.”
Loads of what London picked up on needed to do with the psychological portion of the sport. How he handled much more consideration — and that was one thing he was already used to whereas enjoying at USC — grew to become a stability.
Getting down on himself was one thing to attenuate. For example, overcoming important fumbles in video games towards the Chargers, Saints and Ravens. He is aware of now, he mentioned, to possibly not attempt to battle Chargers outdoors linebacker Khalil Mack for additional yards as an alternative of taking place. It grew to become a technique of “studying easy methods to take the constructive out of issues.”
Again to these fumbles. He’s irritated they occurred, however higher early in his profession than in a important spot later in his profession.
He seems at what occurred in 2022 — the great, the dangerous, the impartial — as progress. Reminds himself of that continuously. He has a plan for the offseason — energy, velocity work, footwork, higher routes – from what he picked up in 12 months 1.
“Going by means of the struggles, going by means of the method, I might somewhat this occur to me proper now in my first couple years,” London mentioned. “Than say we’re in 12 months 4, we’re within the Tremendous Bowl and I try this s—. It could be fully horrible.
“I’d somewhat do it now than do it later in life. I am simply making an attempt to get it out, study from my errors and attempt to be higher.”