Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London suffered a knee injury in the team’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions and will not return in the game. the team announced. London appeared to have suffered the injury on his only target of the day, which he shot 24 yards. Quarterback Marcus Mariota rolled right and found London on a cross and the rookie was tackled as he ran out of bounds.
The severity of that knee injury is unclear, but London was able to get off the pitch before team medical staff looked at that knee on the sidelines. Since this is just an exhibition, there is a scenario where the injury isn’t too serious and the Falcons are just being careful with the rookie. Still, it’s far from ideal when such a key part of the passing offense leaves for some reason.
London was selected No. 8 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by USC and was the first receiver to come off the board in what was a busy class at the position. The 21-year-old is coming off a 2021 season where he was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year after catching 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games.
London missed the end of the 2021 campaign with a broken right ankle but was fully healthy by the time he was selected by Atlanta in the draft.
