Pro Football Network: B+
Cam Mellor: “The Falcons were bound to have an interesting selection in store at No. 8 overall, with plenty of needs to fill and plenty of talented players in play. In the end, they went with USC’s Drake London, who comes off the board as the first wide receiver. It’s a surprising pick, especially when players like Charles Cross and Jermaine Johnson II, among others, were on the board. But London is a worthy WR1 candidate in this class, and the Falcons’ cupboard is completely bare at receiver.
London is my personal WR3, but he’s right there with Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams. London has elite size at 6’4″, 219 pounds, with 33″ arms. He’s a near-dominant contested-catch threat who was funneled targets at USC. He can box out defenders with his frame and snare passes in midair with rare focus. But in other phases, London holds up as well. He’s an underrated route runner with lateral agility and nuance, and he has a great mix of agility and physicality in open space. His health in the immediate timeline is a minor question, but he can be a surefire X for Atlanta.”
Fox Sports: B
Rob Rang: “In the first stunner of the 2022 draft, the Falcons eschewed their league-worst pass rush, instead, nabbing the best jump-ball receiver to pair with last year’s star, Kyle Pitts. Often compared to fellow NFC South star Mike Evans in Tampa Bay, London offers the body control and strong hands to play the role of a security blanket for Marcus Mariota (or a quarterback soon to be selected).