Who should the KC Chiefs target with their first-round pick?

Drake London, WR, USC

Drake London has been tied to the Kansas City Chiefs for awhile now in various mock drafts, and can I just say on behalf of the Chiefs community that if this happens, we should be thanking Brett Veach. London is exactly what we need.

Strengths

Drake London is a wide receiver from USC, and is definitely one of the best receivers from a talent perspective that I’ve seen come out of there. I mean, Michael Pittman Jr. was a very good receiver and Amon-Ra St. Brown is very good, but London is on a different level that those two. On top of being a very athletic receiver, London is also great at making a catch in traffic, which isn’t really all that surprising given his size at 6’5″.

With that combined skill set, a great pro comparison would be a Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals) with a higher ceiling. London is a faster receiver than Higgins, better with his route nuances, can create separation better, and he’s also surprisingly good after the catch as well.

I know most of us here probably wish that we had a Tee Higgins talent on the other side of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Well, he’s right there at our fingertips. All we need is Brett Veach to pull the trigger on the pick.

Weaknesses

London is one of the better receivers in this class and there really aren’t a lot of flaws in his game. However, the biggest thing is the fact that when it comes to creating separation, he doesn’t do a great job when running curls, comebacks, or dig routes.

As a bigger receiver, he doesn’t have the ability to create separation by dropping his hips in and out of his cuts. It’s not uncommon to see in receivers of London’s caliber, but it’s something that you notice on his film. If it’s noticeable on film as a receiver at USC, seeing how he gets around that at the next level will be interesting to see.

London also doesn’t beat his man downfield with speed. He has great burst that gives him the speed to beat his man on quick fades or post routes, but his long speed is not great. Once again, it’s not a huge deal because he still has terrific hands downfield that allow him to be a deep threat and a possession receiver, but it’s something that’s noticed on film.

How He Fits With the Kansas City Chiefs

London is a phenomenal receiver and despite the few weaknesses in his game, he will still be a very good receiver at the next level. Additionally, he gives the Chiefs the thing they’ve been lacking: a 50/50 receiver.

The Chiefs thought they had that in Chris Conley, but that didn’t quite pan out. I mean, I suppose even if you look at their current roster they have potential in Jody Fortson, but I don’t know the organization’s plans with Fortson once he returns. That is where this London pick really shines.

I’d expect London to walk into training camp as a competitor for the WR2/WR3 spot, but by the end of camp be walking away as the wide receiver two. More than likely a receiver that they’ll line up on the other side of Hill in order to try and keep coverage on the outside than over the middle.

Using London as a decoy would give Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, or Byron Pringle (if he returns) a chance over the middle.