The Atlanta Falcons are highlighting the impact of wide receiver Drake London, whose combination of size, athleticism, and physical play has made him a key part of both their passing and running games.
Assistant general manager Kyle Smith described London as someone who embraces the demanding aspects of football. “He can be a dirty work guy,” Smith said. “Which, obviously, as you’re building a team, building an offense, it’s not always easy. And guys like Drake can make the dirty pretty easy at times.”
London has started 48 games for Atlanta over three seasons and accumulated 3,042 receiving yards with 15 touchdowns. Beyond his receiving statistics, London’s blocking ability has contributed to the Falcons’ strong running game. Last season, Atlanta’s running backs led the league in success rate on carries according to Next Gen Stats.
Head coach Raheem Morris emphasized London’s role in both facets of the offense: “I mean, he’s just a dog. When you send Drake in there to go get people, he goes and get them,” Morris said. “And I was having a fun conversation with our staff the other day about, realistically, he’s at the focal point of our run game about 90% of the time… But at the same time, he’s at about 90% of our passing game… So you’re talking about a guy that’s getting a lot of high volume in both the run and the pass game.”
In 2024, London played 90% of Atlanta’s offensive snaps—the most among non-linemen on the team—demonstrating his durability and versatility. While traditionally larger receivers have been used primarily outside (as X receivers), modern NFL offenses are moving toward more flexible roles for players like London.
Smith explained that moving versatile receivers inside creates matchup advantages: “It’s about matchups… There are certain wideouts that they’re outside guys only… So that’s a way to utilize your best receiver … you can always find the matchup that’s advantageous to you.”
Last season, London had the highest target rate from slot alignments among receivers with at least 150 routes run from that position and caught 45 passes for 555 yards from those alignments—sixth-most in the NFL.
Teammate Ray-Ray McCloud commented on London’s drive: “Never, never satisfied with what he’s done or did,” McCloud said. “He always wants to get better…”
While some other slot receivers outperformed London statistically from that alignment last year, they were less versatile in terms of where they lined up on each play. London split his snaps nearly evenly between playing outside (58.1%) and in the slot (39.1%), making it harder for defenses to anticipate his role.
Smith noted that this flexibility only matters if players embrace all responsibilities: otherwise its impact is limited.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins praised London’s willingness to block: “He’s a complete player in the sense that during the run game, we don’t have to hide him,” Cousins said. “We use him to block people — many times people who are bigger than him…”
Atlanta finished third in rushing yards on runs outside tackles last season—a category where wide receiver blocking is especially important—and fifth in rushing yards over expectation on such plays.
Morris credited London’s contributions: “We got combinations with tackles, he’s got combinations with tight ends… So he’s really done a nice job in our run game.”
With rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., expectations for Atlanta’s passing attack are rising after promising early results working with London late last season.
Penix called London “a complete receiver,” adding: “That’s somebody that’s gonna make plays down the field but also make plays for his teammates…”
As debates continue around draft choices from recent years’ wide receiver classes—including Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave—Atlanta remains confident they made their best choice by selecting London.
“It doesn’t matter what scheme you’re running,” Smith said. “you’re going to utilize and find ways to use him.”
