How Falcons WR Drake London Found His Voice in Breakout Season

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Raheem Morris had 11 days between his hiring as the Atlanta Falcons‘ head coach in late January and his introductory press conference in early February.

He didn’t waste any of it.

Morris, who had many late nights and early mornings while assembling his coaching staff, resided in Los Angeles, a minor inconvenience considering he was three hours behind his Atlanta-based colleagues.

But Morris’s location also proved effective in building an early bond with one of his most important pieces: receiver Drake London.

A native of Moorpark, Calif., London spends his offseason on the west coast. Morris, who was previously the Los Angeles Rams‘ defensive coordinator, lived only 20 minutes from London.

The two met at a restaurant in The Commons in Calabasas, Calif., and ate lunch. Their conversation laid the foundation for London’s career season.

“I think that was very instrumental,” Morris said. “I got a chance to sit down and talk to him and listen to him talk and how passionate he was about the team and how he wanted to do this and lead. I gave him free rein to be able to do some of those things and be able to be more of himself.

“And that’s exactly what he’s done since I’ve been here.”

London started his vocality and communication during OTAs. He went from quarterbacks to receivers to the rest of the offense and, ultimately, the team’s defense.

The 23-year-old wanted to take on a leadership role. He wanted to blend his California cool personality with a serious demeanor fit for guiding a locker room of men. Perhaps more importantly, he wanted to be — and play like — himself.

He’s done it.

***

An outside jab at the line of scrimmage. A leaping, above-the-rim catch. The need for four Las Vegas Raiders defenders just to stop forward progress, not even take him down.

London’s second catch — an 18-yard catch-and-run courtesy of quarterback Kirk Cousins — in the second quarter of Atlanta’s win over the Raiders on Dec. 16 may have seemed broadly insignificant in the moment, but it had deeper meaning.

The catch pushed London past his previous career high of 905 receiving yards, set last season. He needed only 14 games and two quarters in 2024 to surpass it.

Two games later — catching passes from rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in a must-win-turned-heartbreaking-loss to the Washington Commanders on Dec. 29, London broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his professional career.

He didn’t care.

“Irrelevant as sh**,” London said when asked whether his achievement is irrelevant or if he can take solace in it. “That stuff doesn’t do anything for me when the team isn’t winning.”

Despite the frustrations of a loss that significantly dimmed Atlanta’s playoff odds, London answered every question inside the Falcons’ locker room at Northwest Stadium. He didn’t have to, but he’s positioned himself as a leader — and did what leaders do.

That Sunday night in Landover, Md., was a small glimpse into London’s maturation and the strides he’s made toward delivering on his initial promise to Morris in their first conversation.

“When we met, he talked about wanting to take this leadership role and a serious type of demeanor,” Morris said. “And he’s done that right from the beginning. So right from OTA days, I could already feel the urgency and what he wanted to be.”

Morris could see it, too. He’s watched London evolve into a player capable of aligning both inside and outside. He’s watched London work through game plan installations and compare it to past plans. He’s watched London’s physicality both as a pass catcher and run blocker.

While he was in Los Angeles, Morris saw glimpses of London’s growth from afar but may not have fully appreciated it. Morris doesn’t watch much college football during the season, but he knew about London, who played at the University of Southern California, due to the school’s proximity to Los Angeles and because its games were played late in the Pacific time zone.

The 23-year-old London has steadily improved since his days on the west coast. Despite playing with five quarterbacks in three seasons and learning a new system under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson this summer, his progress hasn’t been stunted.

Instead, it’s reached new heights.

“I think he’s another guy that just has a great feel for the game,” Robinson said. “He has really good savvy as a route runner, obviously great hands, all the things that everybody liked about him coming out. Now he just understands pro football. He understands the leverages he’s working against other defensive backs and what we’re trying to do on each play.”

Cousins, who was benched due to performance after Atlanta’s win over the Raiders, has long lauded London’s hands and the comfort he provides to a quarterback with his 6’4″, 215-pound frame.

But London’s mental capacity is evident, too.

In the weeks leading up to Atlanta’s road win over the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13, London told Cousins where he’d settle in zones on certain routes against specific looks. The Falcons saw a few of those looks against the Panthers, London settled in the zone and Cousins threw him the pass.

Cousins said he’s unsure whether he’d be decisive enough to get London the ball in those situations had London not given him the feedback. Such conversations and discussions lead to production, said Cousins, who noted he feels London is on his way to being a top-tier receiver.

Those back-and-forth’s also lead to more freedom and creativity for Robinson, who trusts London to read and react to coverages.

“You give him those decision type of routes that he can certainly make the right decision based on the coverage,” Robinson said. “As long as the quarterback and him are on the same page, then it provides a lot of freedom to call those kind of plays, knowing that there’s completions out there.”

The Falcons’ first-year coaching staff has put a lot on London’s plate. Morris described him as “a busy young man,” and Atlanta’s had to find ways at times to get him quick breathers.

But that dilemma is exactly what London wanted. He’s now a high-volume player in both the run and pass game, and no matter how valuable his gaudy receiving numbers suggest he is, London’s impact on Atlanta’s offense goes much, much deeper.

“He’s just a dog,” Morris said. “You know when you send Drake in there to go get people, he goes and gets them. Realistically, he’s at the focal point of our run game about 90% of the time, for the most part, being a Z (receiver), motion into it, inserting, doing some of the dirty work.

“But at the same time, he’s at about 90% of our passing game, either one or two or at least three on just about most of our concepts.”

***

London averaged 29.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 2019 as a senior at Moorpark High School. He played in three games on USC’s men’s basketball team as a freshman after the football season ended.

When thinking of basketball traits that translate to receivers, high-pointing passes like rebounds or incorporating crossover-like moves into release packages may come to mind first.

London has those attributes. He also has a traditional basketball frame, which he’s used better than ever in 2024 to elevate the Falcons’ perimeter blocking.

“Drake looks like a small forward man out there,” Morris said. “So, like, he’s a big man. And when he plays and he gets down in those positions, he’s not afraid or show any signs of timidness to go in there and get whoever he needs to get. So, I feel really good about doing that.”

Morris said Mohamed Sanu had a similar role when he was in Atlanta from 2016-19, while the two leading receivers in franchise history — Julio Jones and Roddy White — each spent time blocking at the point of attack. White was the best blocker of the bunch, in Morris’s eyes.

London has always had the size, toughness and desire to be a quality run blocker, Robinson said. That much was evident on film from his first two NFL seasons. This fall, London’s learned more of the nuances that come with the responsibility.

“Understanding the angles and leverages we’re trying to attack, all those things, he’s just gotten a lot more comfortable with the different insert blocks on the backside that we do,” Robinson said. “He’s done a great job. Again, just a great feel for the game. The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he’s been.”

Perhaps most exciting to Morris? London is still striving to be a “better all-around player in every aspect” of what the Falcons ask of him. Regardless, he’s validated Atlanta’s belief in his blocking throughout the season, helping in combination blocks with offensive tackles and tight ends, among other tasks.

London’s willingness to block not only helps Atlanta’s run game — consider the four seconds he sustained his block on New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks during running back Bijan Robinson‘s touchdown run in Week 16 — but also puts action to words in the way he’s trying to lead the Falcons’ offense.

“Drake’s as physical as a receiver as there is, and it’s the reason I love him,” right guard Chris Lindstrom said. “We have such a great relationship, because he plays with such an edge, even when he’s catching the ball and running, how violent he is, but he’s throwing his hat in there in the run game on every play.

“He’s a big-time receiver across the league, and then he’s also push cracking the safety and throwing his hat in there. So, it just speaks to Drake.”

London’s receiving production has benefitted from Zac Robinson’s offensive system — he has a career-high 140 targets entering Week 18 — but so has the positions he’s been put into as a blocker.

Charlie Woerner, regarded as one of the NFL’s best blocking tight ends, said Robinson is creative with how he involves receivers in run blocking. London has capitalized, and the Falcons’ 12th-ranked rushing offense has enjoyed success as a result.

“He gets after it, man,” Woerner said. “Drake’s a dog in the run game. I think it’s easy — you can look at the run game, and it’s easy to get your O-line and tight ends going. To me, what gets a run game truly going, and big, explosive plays, is receivers.

“So, when the receivers are getting after it, that’s when you’re going to see really, really big run plays.”

The Falcons have changed London’s alignment this fall. He’s played more of a Z-receiver role after spending much of 2023 as an X-receiver. Atlanta made the move right away, Morris said, with hopes of giving London a greater influence on the run game.

Robinson’s motivation stemmed from the Rams’ system in 2023 — particularly star rookie receiver Puka Nacua.

“I think part of the original thought and the original reasons is giving him that Puka-like role that we had in L.A.,” Morris said. “Puka was probably the Z. And then obviously those guys become interchangeable with some of the F position and some of those type of things.

“So, getting them inside, having them on the outside, doing some of the Puka-type roles we showed in L.A. that Zac Robinson is very familiar with and some of the staff guys that came from there.”

But why Nacua?

***

It took Robinson only 10 snaps of film evaluation on his first day as Falcons’ offensive coordinator in mid-February to realize London was going to be the Z-receiver in Atlanta’s new-look offense.

The Falcons didn’t simply bring over the Rams’ playbook. They brought some of the concepts that Morris and Robinson wanted to incorporate, but also added several things Atlanta did well in 2023, a process made easier by retaining several assistants from the previous staff.

Still, the Falcons’ offensive players watched lots of film in the spring and summer of the Rams’ offense in 2023. Naturally, Morris said, Nacua was a player used in cutups to represent certain plays and concepts.

In Los Angeles’ offense, the Z and F receivers are essentially interchangeable. Robinson’s system requires significant movement, but the Z, in particularly, motions more often since the role allows the receiver to play off the ball.

There’s more versatility in the role, Robinson said, which allows more access to specific areas of the field. Robert Woods filled the position in Los Angeles before Nacua arrived in 2023. When Robinson began picturing his Falcons offense in 2024, he knew he wanted London to be the next in line.

“You could kind of see the similarities between those players, which was an easy, clear vision for Drake there,” Robinson said. “We’ve been able to mix him in to play the slot, where he looks like he’s playing the F at some point.

“So, his versatility is awesome, but I think all those things kind of combine into having a very clear role once we got here to move into that spot.”

Versatility is the name of the game for London, who Robinson said is a “combo” between Nacua and former triple crown-winning receiver Cooper Kupp. From a route-savvy perspective, London has similarities to Kupp, while his toughness and blocking resembles Nacua. All three have “great, aggressive hands,” Robinson said.

The Falcons have a bevy of pieces offensively.

Bijan Robinson is fourth in the NFL in both rushing and scrimmage yards; No. 2 receiver Darnell Mooney is eight yards away from his second 1,000-yard season; tight end Kyle Pitts, despite his inconsistencies, is top 15 at his position in receiving yards (583) and touchdowns (four); receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III has set career highs in catches and yards.

And none of them — nor London — are the group’s lone Pro Bowler; that honor goes to Lindstrom, who earned his third consecutive bid Thursday.

But on a unit littered with talent, London’s ability to execute various jobs at a high level is one of the most paramount aspects in maximizing a lofty ceiling. He’s done his part this season.

“As a receiver, he can do everything, but the more those guys can be involved in the run game to where we’re able to get into run type of sets and then throw it or get into pass type of sets and run it, we’ll always try to be as versatile as we can,” Zac Robinson said.

“He is certainly a chess piece that you can move around everywhere and he can do everything.”

***

After the national anthem and a few seconds before the Falcons kicked off their Week 8 road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, London made his rounds on the sideline. He dapped, high-fived and hugged a long line of teammates, as leaders do.

If there was ever a shell covering London’s personality, it’s gone. Robinson said he never would have known London wasn’t an outspoken leader in years past due to how vocal he’s been this fall.

When Mooney signed a three-year deal with the Falcons this spring, he naturally assumed London was the prototypical “Cali kid,” a tag often insinuating a lack of toughness. He quickly found London is aggressive, shown each time he rises above the rim to grab a jump ball or delivers a strong block on the perimeter.

Such attributes have created a common description for London: a dog.

“That’s the best way to describe him,” Zac Robinson said. “Whether it’s practice field, meetings, game — he is so competitive, hyper competitive, that it’s good that he has these emotions that happen with it. Sometimes he can channel them and even be a little better.

“But then you’re like, man, that’s what makes you go. So let him kind of have those moments that he does.”

Despite his disappointment with another season trending toward no playoff football, London said he’s excited about the future of the Falcons’ supporting cast. Him aside, there’s Penix, Bijan Robinson, Mooney and Pitts.

Bijan Robinson, who’s had a breakthrough season of his own, wants to follow in London’s footsteps as an outspoken third-year player in 2025. The way Zac Robinson describes London, there may be no better role model.

“I think everybody knows that when the ball is snapped, No. 5 is going to be giving everything he’s got,” Robinson said. “Every single snap, whether he’s blocking, running around, catching, run after catch. He’s an incredible football player and another guy that’s just going to keep getting better.”

London wanted to be himself. He wanted to be a leader. He wanted to have a career-year. He checked all of those boxes in 2024.

He may not have checked the box he cares most about — a playoff berth — but he left little doubt in 2024: he’s a cornerstone piece for the Falcons moving forward, and a player capable of being the voice, and face, of the organization when times grow tough.

“I’m so proud of him, where he’s gone and what he’s come to,” Morris said. “And coming to that for himself, really, because that’s what he wanted to do and definitely us allowing him to be himself and be able to do some of those things is very special for us.”