The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Death, taxes, and the Green Bay Packers not drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft. Those are the three certainties in this life.
The 2022 NFL Draft will mark the 20th anniversary of the Packers selecting Javon Walker with the 20th overall pick.
A wide receiver that could temp Brian Gutekunst to break that streak is Drake London. The USC reception machine checks in at No. 64 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
In 2019, London recorded 39 receptions for 567 yards and five touchdowns. In six games during the 2020 season, London caught 33 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns.
Prior to suffering a season-ending ankle injury against Arizona in October, London hauled in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. Despite missing the final four games of the season, London still earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
“Drake London was having the best season any wide receiver in the country before he went down,” Evan Desai, the editor for Reign of Troy, said. “This is the same guy who won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year this season despite getting hurt in just the eighth game of the season. In what was maybe the worst year in USC history, with the team running an embarrassment of an offensive scheme, London still put up 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games.”
London played on the USC basketball team and it’s fitting because he does a great job of playing above the rim. He climbs the ladder and outmuscles at the catch point. He has outstanding body control. Even when he’s covered he’s open. With his frame, London has an Inspector-Gadget-like catch radius and will be a red-zone mismatch.
London has strong hands and is a contested-catch maestro. According to Pro Football Focus, London led the nation with 19 contested catches.
With his size (6-5) and leaping ability, it was no surprise to see London listed on Bruce Feldman’s Freak’s list for 2021.
According to Feldman, London has a 38 inch vertical. His size and the way he attacks the ball at its highest point is a big reason why former USC head coach Clay Helton compared him to Mike Evans.
“I really think he’s going to be more Mike Evans-ish at the end of the day,” Helton said. “I think he’s going to be Mike Evans. I’ve watched it in the spring where we’ve moved him outside some, and man, he has been dynamic. I mean, he is a nightmare.”
London is a load for defensive backs to take down after the catch. He’s strong after the catch due to his physical nature and he utilizes a strong stiff arm.
“His toughness and physicality are hard to rival,” Desai said. “It helps him out a lot after the catch. He’s extremely hard to bring down, as anyone who watches his film will discover. His trucking ability is off the charts, and as a freak athlete, he’s got significant game speed to make him effective after the catch as well.”
London is a quick-footed athlete for a man his size. He is a smooth accelerator. He has quick and powerful strides to create separation.
“He’s a tremendous route runner,” Desai said. “Participating in many different roles as a receiver in his time at SC, he can run routes more pertaining to traditional possession receivers, and he can also run deep routes with a lot of success. He even has a lot of experience lining up as a tight end early in his career, which helped diversify his route tree. He can run whatever is needed.”
It’s a well-known fact that Matt LaFleur and his staff love wide receivers that are capable of doing the dirty work on the outside. London is an imposing blocker out the perimeter. He’s wired right and does a good job of driving defenders downfield.
“His size and physicality help him in the blocking game,” Desai said. “Which is of course a big part of what translates to the NFL.”
Fit with the Packers
The wide receiver position in Green Bay is a mess. Will they opt to make Davante Adams the highest-paid wide receiver in the league?
Will they bring back Allen Lazard? Will deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling get a new deal this offseason? Will the Packers bring Randall Cobb back?
Even if the Packers bring Adams back, they need to improve the talent behind him.
With his skillset, London could provide an immediate impact as Green Bay’s No. 2 wide receiver opposite Adams. If Adams isn’t back, London has all the tools to be a team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
“London is a freak,” Desai said. “He only needs one hand to be able to catch the ball and is better than anyone on contested catches. Even if the defense smothers him, a quarterback will feel confident in taking risks if the intended target is London. The energy he plays with is unparalleled, and he has no fears on the football field. He can line up as a slot receiver, as a tight end (Kyle Pitts/Daren Waller type), and on the outside. Nobody will want to tackle him–even in the NFL. Players his size aren’t supposed to have the athleticism and ball skills to play receiver at the elite level he does.”
