Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London has put all defenders in the NFL on notice with an incredible move during training camp.
The talk of the NFL Draft back in April was the wide receivers and just how many of them flew off the board. 28 were taken in total, 6 in the first round and all of those were inside the top 20 as teams from all around the league decided that they wanted to get in on the next generation of great hands that are coming out of college.
Quite who is going to be the best of the draft class and have the best career is far too early to say, but there is one man who arguably has the most pressure on his shoulders, and that is Drake London. Having been taken at #8 by the Atlanta Falcons, he was the first receiver off the board, just ahead of Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams who were taken #10, #11 and #12 by the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions respectively.
London comes into the NFL out of the University of Southern California, where he built quite the C.V, 160 catches that turned into 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns across his three years there, but thereâs more than just the numbers that are eye-catching, you have to factor in his size too.
Megatron 2.0?
Measuring in at 6â5 and weighing 220lbs, itâs fair to say that he is a pretty physical receiver and in terms of body shape isnât too far away from another tall receiver in the NFL, that being former Lions man and now Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, nicknamed Megatron, who played at 6â5 and 237lbs.
And that height is certainly going to be a major advantage to him going up against defensive backs, who have an average height of roughly 5â10, so if you put the ball up in the air for him to contest, there is a good chance that heâs going to come up with it.
But itâs not just his size that you need to look out for, as footage shows heâs also pretty capable when it comes to showing off his speed.
Blink and youâll miss him
In footage posted by Falcons reporter Kevin Knight, London pulls off two impressive jukes in order to shake off his opposite number Casey Hayward, before leaving him for dust and hauling in the pass for a touchdown:
What makes this all the more impressive? Hayward got flagged for holding on the play, so London was able to do this despite being fouled in the process. Now if this isnât something that should leave defenders around the league slightly worried about what theyâre going to have to face this season when they come up against London, then nothing will.
But at least they canât say they havenât been warned.