3 silent assassins on Atlanta Falcons in 2023
- A former divisional foe
- A backup running back
- The WR1? Really?
By Ryan Heckman
![Atlanta Falcons, Tyler Allgeier Atlanta Falcons, Tyler Allgeier](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6706,h_3772,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/44/01h5web6sz069j63d3fr.jpg)
3. Drake London, WR
Just by looking at his numbers last year, no one would have picked out Drake London as the "silent assassin" type. He caught 72 passes for 866 yards and four scores as a rookie. It was a fairly decent season for a rookie, but this guy was the first receiver taken in his class last year. Most are expecting 1,000-yard seasons, and fast.
But, the Falcons ran the ball more often than not and did not pass it enough for London to warrant a gigantic season. Sure, he is the clear-cut WR1 on this team. But, he's still young and only going into his second year. Some could say he still has much to prove.
Looking at some of the deeper numbers, though, London was an absolute stud as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 11th-best at his position last year, and that's astounding, all things considered.
London owned a ridiculous 29 percent target share for the Falcons last year, and that was on an offense that was overly dedicated to running the ball. Not a whole lot will change in terms of being dedicated to the run, especially with Bijan Robinson in the back field. But, London should get more and more looks that result in bigger plays becuase of a healthy run game.
His rookie season might have flown a bit under the radar, but London will be anything but silent, soon enough.
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