Falcons’ Drake London struggles on second day of training camp
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
FLOWERY BRANCH — Drake London slammed his helmet as he crossed the back sideline Saturday morning during the second day of the Falcons’ training camp. The fourth-year wide receiver had just let a 15-yard pass slip through his hands on a dig route and clearly was frustrated with himself.
In the moment, there was not much London could do to fix his mistake, besides resetting for the next play. But after full-team run-throughs ended, the 24-year-old was determined to make sure the drop was a one-time occurrence.
“He hates to lose, hates to do anything wrong or let his teammates down,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “It’s going to bother him. He’s not just going to let it slide.”
London stayed on the field adjacent to the Falcons’ facility to put in extra work with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. while the rest of the group resumed its usual drills. He, along with running back Bijan Robinson and fellow wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, repeated every single route he dropped in practice.
And London’s performance was near perfect.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
“Drake’s one of the more competitive people I’ve been around,” Matthews said. “He’s going to be the last one to take credit, too, which I’ve always really admired about him.”
London had a tough practice Saturday with two fumbles — both where defensive backs stripped him of the football — at least one dropped pass and multiple other incompletions.
But that’s the nature of the NFL. Almost every player will have at least one lousy performance, especially early in training camp when teams are still rekindling their chemistry.
And for London, his desire for excellence is why one bad day will not spiral into a rough week.
“He’s just a stud — a guy that on Sunday you can count on to go out there and make plays,” Matthews said. “It’s the NFL. It’s tough. No one can be perfect. But when you’ve got that mindset and things do inevitably go wrong, to have that type of passion to get it fixed speaks to his character.”
About the Author
Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.
