I guess I see the "employer" as the NFL and the workers are interviewing for the potential employer. Which division (team) of the company (NFL) they get placed is just like any other employer situation. If an employee (player) doesn't want to work in that assigned division (team) that the employer (NFL) wants them to work then they can turn down the job and look to work for a different employer. Nobody is forcing any player to play for a certain team. They can always say no and work in a different industry.
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WR Drake London, ATL (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Faust
- Start date
Donnybrook
Footballguy
ffmail4me
Footballguy
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Ha, I was just thinking about Malcolm Kelly.
2008 and I drafted Kelly and Devin Thomas with mid-first rounders. Surely one stud stud would emerge.
ffmail4me
Footballguy
You trying to piss in my cornflakes? Geez that draft was AWFUL. We just really suck at drafting WRs over the last oh decade or two (save Terry of course) Maybe we can get lucky again tonight, fingers crossed!!!
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
This is probably a pretty cherry-picked data set but I saw this online and it was interesting...
200-plus pound early-declare WRs drafted in the top-10 since 2011:
AJ Green, Julio Jones, Justin Blackmon, Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, Ja'Marr Chase, Drake London.
200-plus pound early-declare WRs drafted in the top-10 since 2011:
AJ Green, Julio Jones, Justin Blackmon, Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, Ja'Marr Chase, Drake London.
who would have thought
teams totally discounting the underwear olympics to secure a blue chip talent
Chaka
Footballguy
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rockaction
Footballguy
You guys are amazing. It's always the people lovers who usually argue for the people that mistakenly hate things like the SAT and the combine.
Hey, folks, those were meritocratic inventions so that prejudice didn't enter into selection! The SAT was designed to level the class system and admit immigrants to higher institutions of learning by changing the selection from landed class systems to merit. It's the same thing with the combine. The blue chippers are alongside the small school kids and all you have is a stopwatch. There's no big school **** swinging influencing the cold truth of time telling.
Sheesh.
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Chaka
Footballguy
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
Chaka
Footballguy
Ridley is suspended for the 2022 season, who knows what's going to happen with him in 2023. If Drake produces Ridley may not be back.
Although he's entering his 5th year it looks like the Falcons picked up his option. I don't think he will toll a year on the reserve/suspended list so I guess he will be back barring a trade
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
I have a hard time believing they won’t bring Ridley back. Falcons are a team that really seems to care about their players.
i’m more concerned about potential limitations to London’s game than I am Ridley/Pitts capping his upside.
Optimistic lens, for 2022 London could be a PPR beast in that offense. But that’s depending on whether MM/Falcons can produce an offense with continuity. They certainly couldn’t in 2021 with Matt Ryan, but they had a pretty good draft.
Pessimistic lens, London is unable to get separation in NFL press coverage, is used mostly in short-intermediate routes, while Pitts becomes the primary receiver in another year of ineffective ATL offense. MM / Ridder struggle, and ATL is a barren wasteland of FF production.
Or somewhere in between.
TripItUp
Footballguy
Chaka
Footballguy
No earthly idea how to project the Atlanta offense. I'm generally avoiding them unless I see real value late
Biabreakable
Footballguy
The opportunity and draft capital are definitely there.
I dont think Mariota is a good QB though which is the main limiting factor here.
I also think London is over rated. I dont like that I have rarely seen him making catches where he is not facing the ball.
I dont think Mariota is a good QB though which is the main limiting factor here.
I also think London is over rated. I dont like that I have rarely seen him making catches where he is not facing the ball.
TripItUp
Footballguy
I agree with all of this.
I have London ranked after Wilson, Burks, Williams in dynasty.
Chaka
Footballguy
It's a fair complaint to a degree but when watching his reels I see tons of opportunities where he had isolation in the right position going down field with a defender but had to make adjustments because his QB simply didn't, or couldn't, get the ball over his shoulder.
He's got incredible suddenness in small spaces, which is more impressive at his size, he adjusts to the ball in air quicker than anyone coming out this year, and he recognizes scramble drills as well as any WR coming out.
He probably isn't a burner but he's fast enough. He has excellent proprioception (kinesthesia), great vision, fluid hips, great body adjustment (he looks like Gumby out there sometimes) and amazing hands. He's Keyshawn Johnson 2.0, fantasy owners should be thrilled with that prospect.
Mariota may not be great but he's got two athletic giants to throw to this year, he may be better than "serviceable" particularly in SF leagues.
EBF
Footballguy
He moves well for a big target. I can understand the draft slot. Rare to see a guy with that height who is that sudden in his plants and breaks. Very fluid. Good body control with the ball in the air. He's the type of WR teams really coveted in the 90s and 00s. To say he is sluggish would be incorrect because he is not stiff at all. Good bend and flexibility.
The issue I see is the lack of an obvious second gear. There's not much pull-away speed here. You can see it on film and in his stats. 88 catches last year, but just 7 TDs and 12.3 YPR. For the sake of comparison, Henry Ruggs had 7 TDs and 18.7 YPR on 40 catches in his last season at Bama. Jameson Williams had 15 TDs and 19.9 YPR on 79 catches last season.
Those guys were deep threat specialists though. This guy is the polar opposite type of WR. Power forward. Wins at the catch point. The upside is something like a Brandon Marshall or Larry Fitzgerald style of WR. High volume, high receptions, modest explosiveness. I don't see outright bust risk, but there are timelines where he becomes a very boring chain mover who needs high volume to reach good yardage totals.
If his floor is in the Keyshawn range and his ceiling is Marshall, it's a narrow band of outcomes and you have to consider him in the top 3 picks of rookie drafts. Ideally you'd have a little more sizzle from your elite rookie pick, but he's probably at minimum a quality NFL starter.
The issue I see is the lack of an obvious second gear. There's not much pull-away speed here. You can see it on film and in his stats. 88 catches last year, but just 7 TDs and 12.3 YPR. For the sake of comparison, Henry Ruggs had 7 TDs and 18.7 YPR on 40 catches in his last season at Bama. Jameson Williams had 15 TDs and 19.9 YPR on 79 catches last season.
Those guys were deep threat specialists though. This guy is the polar opposite type of WR. Power forward. Wins at the catch point. The upside is something like a Brandon Marshall or Larry Fitzgerald style of WR. High volume, high receptions, modest explosiveness. I don't see outright bust risk, but there are timelines where he becomes a very boring chain mover who needs high volume to reach good yardage totals.
If his floor is in the Keyshawn range and his ceiling is Marshall, it's a narrow band of outcomes and you have to consider him in the top 3 picks of rookie drafts. Ideally you'd have a little more sizzle from your elite rookie pick, but he's probably at minimum a quality NFL starter.
massraider
Footballguy
There's so many good young QBs right now, it's rough taking a him as the top WR when they have the worst QB situation in the league. Mariota hasn't played much in two years, got injured right away last year, and averaged 17 completions in the last 20 games he DID start.
You gotta hope they get a stud next year, and that stud IS a stud, and hits the ground running.
You gotta hope they get a stud next year, and that stud IS a stud, and hits the ground running.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
an interesting description. Most scouts I read said that the over the shoulder catch wasn’t something he excelled at, and they deliberately schemed for London to come back to the ball using his suddenness & twitchy moves.
he so frequently struggled to get separation that he was the contested catch king, something that rarely seems to foreshadow a good NFL career.
But he is capable of beating defenders late & he does have ball skills. It’ll be interesting to seE how ATL uses him.
From what I saw of MM in relief of Carr, he’s a better QB now than he was in TEN. He’s spent time honing his craft - and unlike in TEN, the NFL has evolved and he is quicker to use his legs, which has always been a strong trait. IMO MM is going to surprise people with his ability to put the ball on target on the run.
The challenges are his ability to stay on the field & that the Falcons are running out Pitts, London, and some combination of scrubs that likely wouldn’t see the field much on any other NFL team.
If London is at least a quality possession receiver, he can help the Falcons. Maybe he surprises and shows another gear than he did in college - I will absolutely withhold judgement until I’ve seen him beat pro coverage (or not) - jury’s out.
If Ridley comes back in ‘23, I’d expect London’s coverage to soften - when that happens, that’s not a bad trio.
‘22 could be iffy.
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Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Chaka
Footballguy
If USC's scheme is to throw late into wide open zones and their QB is so talented as to intentionally throw the ball everywhere except where his WR has exploited a weakness on a defender then they got some next level stuff going on in Southern California.
It will be interesting to see what the coaching staff comes up with this season... wherever they are.
Absolutely agree about Mariota and I really like that Arthur Smith targeted him as a FA. He was in Tennessee for all of Mariota's tenure but only got to call plays for him for six games. Makes me think it wasn't his preference to move on to Tannehill.
massraider
Footballguy
Whenever this is brought up with a guy, I get what I call a Kevin White alarm
in my head.Because the debate was Amari vs White that year, and the Raiders were in on WR, I remember the pre-draft chatter really well.
White's big positive was strength and contested catch ability. Come to find out, it was because he didn't get open.
Not that winning contested catches is bad, Mike Evans had a bunch of them while collecting ducks from Manziel. But Evans was able to get open.
This isn't to disparage London. I really don't know. I'm not in a position to draft him, so I haven't been reading about him a lot.
It's just that, Kevin White taught me: you have to get open.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
That’s where I’m at. I’m keeping an open mind. I look forward to seeing how he makes the transition to the pros. I like the Falcons as an organization, and wish them well. I am also a Pitts shareholder, and for that alone I hope London can be an effective NFL WR.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
that was also that weird time when rushing QBs would get shackles on their legs while teams tried to turn them into pocket passers. They ruined many a promising career with that nonsense.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
Then he came in to run a QB option, pulls a hammy, looking like the old dude at the basketball court with the goggles and the knee brace.
Chaka
Footballguy
Kurt Rambis belongs on the Mount Rushmore of NBA Awesome!Then he came in to run a QB option, pulls a hammy, looking like the old dude at the basketball court with the goggles and the knee brace.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
I thought that was the next game.Then he came in to run a QB option, pulls a hammy, looking like the old dude at the basketball court with the goggles and the knee brace.
ETA: I just remembered - it was a different game. They brought in MM for a short yardage play & He limped off.
The game he replaced Carr (groin) he played the whole game, and played well. He was mobile, accurate and downright electric for a spell.
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Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
Gallery: Falcons 2022 draft class: One bold prediction for each rookie
Drake London will lead all rookies in receiving yards
This year's draft was loaded with wide receivers but the Falcons took the first one off the board by selecting USC's Drake London eighth overall. Atlanta has completely revamped its wide receiver corps and London is the new face of the position. While the Falcons traded for Bryan Edwards and signed a handful of free agents, London will likely serve as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. This gives him a leg up on Chris Olave, Jahan Dotson and some of the other rookies. London should flirt with a 1,000-yard season if he stays healthy.
Drake London will lead all rookies in receiving yards
This year's draft was loaded with wide receivers but the Falcons took the first one off the board by selecting USC's Drake London eighth overall. Atlanta has completely revamped its wide receiver corps and London is the new face of the position. While the Falcons traded for Bryan Edwards and signed a handful of free agents, London will likely serve as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. This gives him a leg up on Chris Olave, Jahan Dotson and some of the other rookies. London should flirt with a 1,000-yard season if he stays healthy.
Marcus' problems have always been leading in the huddle. Players always say it's not an issue while staffs want him more vocal.
He was a perfect backup with his quiet demeanor and Mr perfect good boy attitude.
He can outplay anyone for a few series of the plays are called right, he's blessed with speed.
Every other NFL QB has this ride on my back, I'll lead you, we got this vibe. Marcus does not. He expects to lead by example and many believe that's a significant problem he has.
Atlanta is his fresh start and we'll see. I feel bad for him that he's got yet another bad line to be behind and feel like he's setup but that's the hand he's dealt.
He's been racing players and doing his I'm your buddy thing. He was talking privately with WRs after plays and Ledbetter pointed out that's not what the coaches want. Skip the respectful correction and holler at them instead. He also goes back to the error WR to give him a chance to overcome. Noble spirit but defenses know this by now and Pees was ready for it too. He pointed out Marcus hollering "do better" which....it's a start. It's not ideal and vague but...they're working on his vocal leadership too.
Also fwiw, Ridder is not close.
London and Tate seem to be the starters now, not Edwards.
Tate plays exactly like a big tall WR would and lacks the quick burst speed. Edwards will get every chance to take his spot but I'd get a share or two of Tate in leagues that allow WW now.
There's a massive influx of Titans fans on Falcons boards and radio. Marcus, Arthur, and Pees are some of our faves and the Titans off-season is pretty standard while the Falcons is new and interesting. I imagine the Titans fans revert back once TC is near.
I'm really enjoying it and I'm really enjoying the seasoned reporters not hyping a thing just telling what they see.
Tate plays exactly like a big tall WR would and lacks the quick burst speed. Edwards will get every chance to take his spot but I'd get a share or two of Tate in leagues that allow WW now.
There's a massive influx of Titans fans on Falcons boards and radio. Marcus, Arthur, and Pees are some of our faves and the Titans off-season is pretty standard while the Falcons is new and interesting. I imagine the Titans fans revert back once TC is near.
I'm really enjoying it and I'm really enjoying the seasoned reporters not hyping a thing just telling what they see.
