The longer it takes for the Atlanta Falcons take to sign Drake London to a long-term extension, the higher the risk of losing him in free agency. After his fifth-year option was picked up, he's entering the final year of his rookie deal, and this offense cannot afford to lose Michael Penix Jr.'s favorite target.
Because Terry Fontenot played it fast-and-loose with a London extension, time is of the essence for Ian Cunningham to get a deal done in the coming months. And this isn't a Kyle Pitts situation where the Falcons are using the franchise tag to determine if they should pay him --this is pure neglience.
Good receivers grow on trees, but elite receivers are much harder to find. Luckily, if Atlanta does lose London, CBS Sports' Mike Renner has them not waiting long to find his potential successor. He has them taking Texas receiver Cam Coleman with the sixth pick in his way-too-early 2027 mock draft.
"Cam Coleman is a wildly explosive 6-foot-3, 200-pound wideout who spent the past two seasons stuck with poor quarterback play at Auburn," Renner wrote. "That changes this year as he heads to Texas to pair with Arch Manning. He should be a household name by season's end."
CBS Sports' 2027 mock draft has the Falcons preparing for life without Drake London
Coleman would be better suited as a potential running mate for London in Atlanta. Just imagine a receiver room consisting of those two (if Drake is extended) and Zachariah Branch would be dangerous. But unfortunately, there is the slight off-chance that he'd have to be his successor.
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, the 19-year-old (yes, you read that right) has the size, speed, and explosiveness to eventually take the NFL by storm. If it weren't for Jeremiah Smith, Coleman would probably be the best receiver in the county and the first wide receiver selected in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Renner noted that he was one of the best receivers in the nation at Auburn. This guy had eight touchdowns as a true freshman catching passes from Payton Thorne, so there's no telling what he'll be able to accomplish on a more competitive Texas team while catching passes from Arch Manning.
If the Dirty Birds want to extend the 24-year-old, odds are they'll have to fork up over $30 million annually--and they still have to extend both Pitts and Bijan Robinson. So if Cunningham is looking to save money to land a new star wideout, drafting Coleman is very much within the realm of possibility.
The Falcons should 100% find a way to extend him and have these two wideouts join forces, since it would be foolish not to extend such a valuable piece of the offense. But if a deal is unable to materialize at some point in the near future, Coleman would be the perfect big-bodied successor.
Add us as a preferred source on Google