The Falcons invested heavily in their skill group, spending three top 10 draft picks from 2021 to 2023 on Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson. But they haven’t seen the kind of return they expected to this point.
Pitts has experienced the most success, which came during his rookie campaign with the shell of Matt Ryan. He nearly eclipsed Mike Ditka’s rookie receiving record for a tight end, but his next two seasons were marred by poor quarterback play and injuries.
Drake London and Bijan Robinson didn’t flop by any means, but the NFL world doesn’t talk about them like their classmates — i.e., Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jamhyr Gibbs.
That is all expected to change in 2024 with Kirk Cousins under center. The Falcons paid a premium for a reliable signal caller in hopes that Cousins would help Pitts, London, and Robinson realize their full potential.
With a solid offensive line and a heralded coordinator in Zac Robinson, the sky is the limit for those three, but I’m most excited about London. If you look back at the numbers other top receivers put up when playing with Cousins, London’s projections should have Falcons fans salivating.
Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, etc. are proof of concept. Drake London is in for a massive year, and NFL execs agree.
“Atlanta’s Drake London is a name that received multiple mentions when asking league evaluators this question. The third-year wide receiver failed to reach 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, which makes it difficult to crack the upper tier,” Jeremy Fowler writes in regards to the ESPN article about execs’ thoughts on the outlook’s top 100 ranking. “But the talent is obvious, and so is the fit with new quarterback Kirk Cousins, a major upgrade at the position for Atlanta.”
“Kirk will throw it to him a lot,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “He’ll get a lot of 50-50 balls. Hasn’t had a capable quarterback. Atlanta will get a lot more out of the offense in general.”
Nobody should be surprised if all three former top 10 picks set career highs if Kirk Cousins is healthy, but Drake London, in particular, will be a household name around the league.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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