Drake London will not test at NFL Combine

The fractured ankle that kept USC wide receiver Drake London off the field for the final four games of the 2021 season will keep him sidelined for the NFL Combine as well.

London is in Indianapolis for the Combine but said he will only participate in the interview process during the multiple-day event. He said he just started running on it about a week ago and that he is about 85% healthy as he continues to recover. London suffered the ankle fracture as he caught a touchdown just before halftime against Arizona. A Wildcat defender rolled over his ankle as the two crossed the goal line.

That reception took London to 88 on the year, trying Michael Crabtree as the only Power 5 wide receiver to catch 88 passes in the first eight games of a season. Had he stayed healthy for the second half, London likely would have blown past that number. He also had a chance to set single-season USC records for receptions and receiving yards. He finished the 2021 season with 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. London is the only USC wide receiver with multiple games of at least 15 receptions.

London fielded questions during the multiple media sessions on Wednesday. He heaped praise on his former teammates for getting him to where he is right now.

He credited former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Vaughns for showing him the ropes when he arrived as a true freshman. London spoke previously about how he tried to take different parts of their games and incorporate them into his. He was also asked about the best defensive backs he went against and spoke highly of his USC teammates during practice. London said going against players who knew his moves well and still pushed him was beneficial.

He will wait to test at USC’s Pro Day.

London in the Draft

London spoke about where he needs to sharpen his game at the next level.

“Being that Swiss Army knife,” he told the CBS desk. “Being good at all the techniques I possibly can be and having every tool in my arsenal.”

London said it doesn’t matter to him whether he lines up inside or outside. He handled both positions at USC.

London is projected as a first-round selection right now and potentially the first wide receiver off the board. It would mark three years in a row that a USC wide receiver was drafted. And London could become the first USC receiver taken in the first round since Nelson Agholor went No. 20 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. He’s been projected as high as the top 10, which means he could be the first USC wide receiver to go that high since Mike Williams went No. 10 to the Detroit Lions in 2005. You have to go back to Keyshawn Johnson going No. 1 overall in 1996 to the New York Jets for a USC receiver drafted higher than Williams.

London has drawn some big-time comparisons during this draft prep and dating back to his second year at USC. Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the comparison thrown around most often. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans posted another 1,000-yard season in 2021. He now has eight-straight 1,000-yard seasons, with 606 receptions for 9,301 yards for 75 touchdowns in an eight-year career.

Green Bay’s Davante Adams was suggested as a comparison on Wednesday. Adams has exploded the past four seasons. He caught 123 passes for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season, one year after catching 18 touchdowns for the Packers in 2020.

Clearly, expectations will be high for London entering the league.