Top USC football draft prospect Drake London raises eyebrows with Pro Day decision

USC football elite receiver Drake London is considered by many as the best wide receiver available in this year's NFL Draft. He decided not to work out at USC's Pro Day and instead have a Pro Day of his own so that he'd be at full health.

He was coming off of an ankle injury that he suffered in the eighth game of the year this past college season, and wanted to make sure he gave himself time to get right before he worked out in front of that many scouts like that. He ended up even having to push back his own Pro Day due to a new nagging hamstring injury.

Despite pushing it back and finally having it last Friday, he still chose not to run the 40-yard dash. It was unclear as to why, however. Is it injury-related? It could be. It could also be due to the fact that speed isn't one of his No. 1 strengths, and he may not feel interested in showcasing it during a day all about his strengths.

USC WR Drake London, coming off of a major ankle injury, has opted against running a 40 at his Pro Day today.

Scouts and coaches in attendance are still getting a look at some route running and footwork from the PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 15, 2022

USC football star Drake London's decision was possibly due to injury, but most likely wasn't:

USC star WR Drake London didn’t run a 40 this morning at his Pro Day, but he did do a variety of positional drills.

(?: @kaelenjones)pic.twitter.com/oAfpmXj3oN
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 15, 2022

If USC football's freak receiver talent Drake London was still banged up, he likely wouldn't be able to cut the way he did in the above video. That being said, it is still possible that he thought his injury wouldn't necessarily affect those drills but could potentially affect his 40. Some believe that he was worried his injury would result in lesser 40 times:

Some in attendance believe that USC WR Drake London may not have been 100 percent at his Pro Day, but was reluctant to run 40 as to not put out 4.6 range times.

Full scouting report ? https://t.co/bByhtpuUz2
— NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated (@NFLDraftBible) April 20, 2022

That would be understandable, as his straightaway speed is considered to be one of his weaknesses. Savvy college football fans do know that his game speed is more than fast enough to succeed at the next level, but this may simply have to be a decision London has to make so scouts don't get the wrong impression of him.

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London, the 2021 Offensive Pac-12 Player of the Year, recorded 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns last year despite playing in only eight games. It's safe to say that regardless of his reason for not running the 40, his perceived "lack" of speed doesn't affect his productivity as a receiver.

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