WRU sees USC Projan Drake London 5th year picked up by Atlanta Falcons

Wide receivers coming to USC and being set up for success is a college football tradition. While in Troy, Drake London showed fans his skill set and high-level, big-play ability. While on the field, he made a number of highlights throughout his Trojan seasons and then became the No. 8 pick of the 2022 draft.

Now with the Atlanta Falcons, his place in the WR room has been secured, as news was released of the NFL team picking up his five-year option through 2026. This was a move that was largely expected, particularly with his continued production at the next level.

With the quarterback situation being in flux for the Falcons, he'll hope to see some security for the offense with Michael Penix Jr. looking to be the starter. Although as a rookie last year, he impressed enough to be the presumptive QB1 heading into the 2025 season.

Even so, Kirk Cousins could remain a possibility despite losing the job midway through 2024. Regardless, as has been the case, it doesn't matter who lines up under center in Atlanta; London knows how to rack up yards.

Crossroads while at USC

The former USC receiver was at once a dual-sport athlete in college. As he shared while discussing it on the St. Brown podcast, he ended up stepping away from basketball to focus on football. Although, as London explained, it had more to do with timing than anything else. He expanded:

"I'm already doing good at one sport. COVID hit, we had a canceled season. It was kind of just like, take what is right in front of you."

Not being able to work on his game as much on the court due to the nature of what was going on at the time helped him to make the decision to focus on football. Now, seen as one of the best young receivers in the NFL, it's clear that he made the right choice.

He would go on to mention how difficult it was to compete in two sports at the collegiate level. It is still telling that he was good enough in both to be even able to be on both teams while at USC. Hard to argue too much that he's missing his hooping days at this time, especially with the Falcons ensuring that he'll stay with them for the immediate future.