Mel Kiper details what makes Drake London a big-time NFL prospect

Mel Kiper’s initial Mock Draf special aired Wednesday, and the ESPN analyst had nothing but great things to say about the top receiver in this year’s NFL Draft Class

Kiper projects USC standout Drake London to land No. 10 overall to the New York Jets.

“Now he got hurt late October with the ankle. Until then, he was un-coverable,” Kiper said. “He had 15 catches, 13 catches, 12 catches in just individual games — 88 catches in the eight games he played. He played power forward, basketball background. Only had one drop in the four or five games I looked at in this year before he was injured.”

The injury Kiper mentioned was to his right ankle. London went down after scoring two touchdowns during a 41-34 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. He hauled in nine receptions for 81 yards — in the first half alone.

It was the only game London didn’t rack up at least 100 yards or more in a single game.

In the eight games London played, he broke the 1,000 receiving yards threshold at 1,084. The 6-foot-5 junior also scored seven touchdowns on 88 receptions and averaged 12.3 yards per reception. He also led the receiving core by over 400 yards; the second closest receiver had just 602 on the season.

“In those eight games he played, that’s someone you see in those eight games, all the awards you can think of, he deserves,” Trojans head coach Donte Williams said at the time. “Whether it’s the Biletnikoff, whether it’s first-team All-American, the things he did for this team and this university, he was about to put up probably one of the best statistical seasons any receiver has ever put up in college football. And that’s saying a lot.”

London rounds out Kiper’s top-10, but he sees the wideout as one of the more productive players in this year’s draft class. With a steady receiving core already in place, Kiper sees London making an immediate impact on the struggling franchise.

“I tell you for Zach Wilson. When you know you have Elijah Moore, a real good player. Braxton Berrios, Corey Davis, now you get that guy who’s a red zone threat, touchdown maker,” Kiper said. “Drake London would be a really nice player for the Jets.”