Drake London bringing 'intensity' to Atlanta Falcons culture

Drake London is joining the Falcons during a transitive period. Atlanta is freshly removed from trading their long-time franchise quarterback in Matt Ryan, and the franchise is on the heels of a new era. To kickstart it, the Falcons selected the former USC star wide receiver with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The football world knows about his football prowess, but what about London’s off-field ability? During his introductory press conference, the first round selection revealed what he can add to the culture the Falcons are trying to build.

“I would say intensity,” revealed London. “Would I consider myself a leader? Yes. But at the same time, I am a rookie. I have to go through all the ropes. Probably going to be carrying your shoulder pads and helmets all the time. You know, rookie dinner and things like that. But, I would definitely say in the future I would like to be a leader.”

Evidently, London believes he’s a leader — but he’s not expecting to have to become one of the team’s loudest voices during his rookie season. Still, circumstances may require him to step up earlier than most rookies have to during their NFL career.

The Falcons decided to bring Drake London to Atlanta over drafting a future franchise quarterback in the first round. It’s easy to see why the franchise is so high on the former USC star. Now, it’s up to London to prove the Falcons right — both on and off the field.

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Furthermore, experts are already salivating at the potential Drake London possess for his NFL career. To illustrate, Matt Miller of ESPN said that London will be able to put together the best rookie season — stating that he can make an immediate impact.

“Drake London has a great situation in Atlanta with defenses focusing so much on tight end Kyle Pitts,” Miller said. “His ability to dominate in the red zone while posting up smaller defensive backs makes him a huge Day 1 impact player. And with quarterback Marcus Mariota looking to remind folks why he was the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, he will be looking London’s way often.”

The hype is real. The future is bright for Drake London, and the Atlanta Falcons have their cornerstone wide receiver to move forward into a new era with.