Mel Kiper compares top receiver prospect to Mike Evans, Plaxico Burress

Mel Kiper is as high as can be on USC wide receiver Drake London in the 2022 NFL Draft, so much so that he compared London to a three-time All Pro wideout in Mike Evans and a Super Bowl champion in Plaxico Burress.

Despite USC’s abysmal 4-8 record in 2021, London was a shining bright spot on the Trojans’ roster. He played in just eight games after suffering a late-season injury, but despite missing the season’s final four games, London still managed to earn first-team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus, second-team All-American honors from Walter Camp and the FWAA and third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. Now, as the 6-foot-5, 210-pound wide receiver enters the 2022 NFL Draft, he figures to be one of the top available wideouts.

“Drake London is a power forward,” Kiper said of London, speaking both literally and figuratively, as London originally enrolled at USC as a two-sport athlete. “He’s got that frame, you see the ball skills and you see the guy who — in games I watched — dropped one pass, that’s it. He was targeted an awful lot. … He’s a big receiver, you can throw it up to him. You think about Zach Wilson, helping out your young quarterback, and that’s what you want to do if you’re Joe Douglas. So, you help out with Drake London.”

Kiper believes London would be a fit with the New York Jets, who will certainly be looking for a new weapon for second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. London had an excellent final season at USC, even despite his injury forcing him to miss time, as he reeled in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. He eclipsed the 10-reception mark in five of his eight appearances this season, and after a 137-yard performance in Week 1, London amassed a tremendous five-game streak starting Week 3 in which he had no less than 130 receiving yards. His season-best performance, at Notre Dame, resulted in a 15-catch, 171-yard performance.

“Drake London is a mismatch with that size, that physicality and that length that he brings,” Kiper said. “I’d compare him to a Plaxico Burress or to a Mike Evans. I think he goes in that top-10 to 15 range. The injury, obviously — he finished with, what, eight games, 88 catches? Had he played the full season, those numbers would have been through the roof. So, obviously, I like Drake London.”

Kiper noted that arm length is a major factor he uses for every position other than quarterback and running back in grading prospects, because “it allows you to maybe get that pass breakup that you wouldn’t have gotten, get that tackle you wouldn’t have gotten” or, in the case of London, reel in that pass you may not have caught. Kiper said that his evaluation — and projection — of London is subject to change after the NFL Combine, as he’s eager to see London’s measurements prior to Draft day. However, for now, Kiper has London projected as the 10th-overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, taken off the board in the first round by the New York Jets.