Almost every NFL mock draft we’ve run across this offseason has the New Orleans Saints moving quickly to address their subpar passing game, whether it’s meant selecting a top quarterback prospect or one of many impressive wide receivers available in the 2022 draft cycle. That’s still the case, and it should stay that way until we get an idea of what the team plans to do in free agency later in March.
In the latest 2022 mock draft from Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire, the Saints again went with a wide receiver at No. 18 overall — but, ironically, they landed one of the few receiver prospects who didn’t run during this year’s record-setting combine. USC Trojans product Drake London is still recovering from an ankle fracture and expects to go through athletic testing drills at a private pro day in April.
London did measure in well at the combine, tipping the scales at 219 pounds while standing a hair under 6-foot-4 (he’s officially listed at 6-foot-3 and 7/8 of an inch, if you’re a stickler for that kind of thing). He’s also got one of the largest catch radiuses in this draft class with 33-inch arms on a 77 and 3/4-inch wingspan.
Take that physical profile with his college resume (160 receptions for 2,153 yards, with 15 touchdown catches in 22 games) and you’ve got a highly appealing prospect. Once London’s medicals check out and he goes through whatever paces NFL teams want to see, he should be a lock to go in the first round this year. There are concerns about London’s ability to separate from defensive backs, but it’s worth remembering how little help he got from his quarterback at USC. A more accurate passer will do him a lot of good.
As for where he slots in among the rest of the rookie class: Farrar’s mock draft has London going to the Saints at No. 18 as the third receiver off the board, following Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson landing with the Cleveland Browns at No. 13 and Arkansas standout Treylon Burks picked by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 16. He projects three other wide receivers to go in the first round: Jameson Williams (Alabama), Chris Olave (Ohio State), and Skyy Moore (Western Michigan).
The Saints probably can’t go wrong with options like that. But there is a long way to go until draft day, and they could very well make enough additions in free agency to where receiver isn’t their most pressing need come late April. We’ll see how the situation develops.
