Atlanta Falcons fans are excited to see Drake London hit the field, but they may not get a look at their rookie first round pick when the New Orleans Saints visit in Week 1. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Friday that London has been progressing in recovery from an offseason knee injury, and that he’ll go through a workout on Saturday to determine whether or not he plays against the Saints on Sunday.
That’s big news. London has been limited on the injury report all week, and he’s easily got the highest upside out of the players in Atlanta’s wide receiver corps — a motley group that includes NFL veterans Bryan Edwards, Olamide Zaccheaus, Damiere Byrd, and KhaDarel Hodge, as well as undrafted rookie Jared Bernhardt (a former lacrosse star at Maryland who played quarterback for Ferris State, and who learned to run routes with the Falcons this May). If London can’t go, or if he’s slowed down by this knee injury, the Saints secondary should be in for quite a mismatch.
Still, they can’t take things for granted in Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota is the exact sort of mobile passer that New Orleans has struggled to defend in the past. Their issues at linebacker (projected starter Pete Werner is still limited by a groin injury that flared up in the first week of training camp) make for a vulnerability that Smith and his play action-heavy offense can exploit. If the Saints can’t take care of their own business, it won’t matter who is lining up against them on Sunday.
