Through the first two years of his NFL career, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has showcased the reasons to be confident in his skill set, but also hasn't been afforded the opportunity to show off absolutely everything he can do. London caught 72 passes for 866 yards and four scores as a rookie, then followed that up with a 69-905-2 receiving line last year.
Of course, London did that in Arthur Smith's run-heavy offense, and while playing only 80% of the team's offensive snaps -- far below the rates played by other No. 1 wide receivers. He also caught his passes from Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke.
Next year, things will be different. Not only did the Falcons hire Raheem Morris as their new coach and Zac Robinson as their new offensive coordinator; they also signed Kirk Cousins to start at quarterback. And London is enjoying the experience of playing with a passer of a different caliber and a different level of experience.
"I will say it does feel different having Kirk here," London said, during an interview on Sirius XM Radio. "He's a very veteran guy who's been here -- now going into his 13th year. So to learn from him is a really cool thing."
In particular, London thinks that Cousins' ability to teach him about defenses and how to react to what the opponent shows him on a play-to-play basis is going to help his game immensely.
"He takes that very, very seriously," London said. "And then he's seen a lot of pictures in his day playing football. So to be able to go out there and key those and help us see it with I'm is a huge thing, too. So I think that's what I've learned the most. I think he's going to help me learn the game of football on a bigger scale and understand it a little bit more. And for that, I really can't wait and see where it takes my game."
The Falcons' passing game should be much improved in 2024, provided that Cousins can recapture peak form following the torn Achilles that ended his season a year ago. In the event that he falters or suffers another injury, the Falcons did also use their first-round pick on Michael Penix Jr., and while that almost surely was not good asset management, it does at least afford them what should be a quality backup option.
