This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player’s percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
The bars represents the team’s percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs Chargers
Sunday, Dec 1st at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
72.3
Cornerbacks
87.1
Safeties
43.4
Linebackers
77.7
London might not go ahead of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson if there were a 2022 redraft, but the eighth overall pick showed plenty of signs of his bright future amidst an uneven rookie season. The USC product opened with 214 yards and two TDs his first three weeks before settling into a prolonged slump in an extremely run-heavy offense. London then picked it back up in December to average 6.2 catches and 85.6 yards over his final five games while primarily catching passes from fellow rookie Desmond Ridder, who reportedly will enter 2023 as the starter ahead of offseason addition Taylor Heinicke. Coach Arthur Smith still figures to emphasize the run first and foremost, especially after drafting Bijan Robinson eighth overall this spring, but London saw a massive 29.3 percent target share last season (117 of 400 team targets) and could own a similar portion of the passing game with only TE Kyle Pitts representing serious competition. Also consider that London turns 22 in July, making him the same age as a lot of rookies but with an 866-yard NFL season to his name already.
Isn’t it convenient when the team most in need of a wide receiver is the first to pick one in the draft? So it went for London, a three-year starter at USC who averaged 43.6 yards per game as a true freshman, 83.7 as a sophomore and 135.5 as a junior. He went eighth overall to Atlanta, despite missing the final four games last year – plus predraft workouts – after fracturing his ankle in October. It may have been a blessing in disguise, considering the 40-yard dash and other combine drills were never likely to be the strength of London’s prospect profile. What he does bring to the table is production, size (6-4, 219) and youth (he turned 22 in July), and he landed with a team where the other candidates for WR snaps are an uninspired mix of journeymen and undrafted guys. The Falcons do have last year’s first-rounder, Kyle Pitts, the 21- year-old tight end who eclipsed 1,000 yards as a rookie. They’re seemingly counting on London to have a similar immediate impact, though even the success of Pitts’ debut campaign illustrates a big part of the downside, as the young tight end scored only one TD on 68 catches. The Atlanta offense isn’t likely to get much better with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder replacing Matt Ryan at QB, unless both Pitts and London prove to be bonafide, ready-made superstars.
