Beyond his size, strength and athleticism, London's knack for developing trust with quarterbacks quickly has powered one of the NFL's steadiest starts for a young receiver.

Tori McElhaney

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. Everyone can see the competitor Drake London is on the gridiron. He's fiery. Intense.

Everyone can also see whathis own father has called his "athletic genius.It's the innate. The length, the strength, the height of which London was born with.

However, despite all of this, what everyone doesn't seen is perhaps one of the most important reasons London has found the success he has had through four years in the professional ranks. It's the part of London's game that he takes the most personal pride in, what he covets. And when looking back at his career thus far which is a career that has amounted to nearly 4,000 receiving yards and over 20 touchdowns it's very much overlooked in the grand scheme of not just London's game, but how it is viewed nationally in the context of the changes Atlanta has experienced from a roster standpoint since London was drafted with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Five different quarterbacks have thrown a pass, played multiple games with London since that day the receiver first became a Falcon. All different men, with different skill sets, all working within different systems with coordinators changing, too.

Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins are the individuals quarterbacking a Falcons team in the last four seasons of London's career. He is likely to add another to the list in Tua Tagovailoa in 2026, depending on how the competition between Tagovailoa and Penix shakes out this season. London has never finished a season with the same quarterback he started the year with. And yet, he's found success as a receiver, regardless of who's thrown him the ball.

This is important to London.

"I try to pride myself on not really taking too long to mesh or gel with a quarterback," London said. "I take pride in that."

The context of this quote from London was in the confines of a question about his role in an active battle for QB1. How do you handle it? What do you prioritize when you don't know who will be throwing you the ball come Week 1 of the season?

Well, for starters, it's simply "catch the ball whenever they throw it." But deeper than that, it's having conversations about ball placement, timing, dissecting the route trees and how long it takes London to get to the top of his route, when he's turning back toward his quarterback, when his eyes are ready for the pass to head his way. It's minute details and split second decisions. It's also trust, both that London will be where he needs to be, that he comes down with the ball, but also that his quarterback can get the ball to him.

So, yes, it is as simple as catching the ball when its in his vicinity. But football's complexity often lies within that simplicity. London, as a player, embodies that reality.

"You gotta have those conversations right then and there because you just don't know," London explained. "It's football. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when when you get hurt."

Or, when a quarterback change happens.

"You gotta be ready," London continued, "and be on your Ps and Qs with everybody else as well."

At his core, London is a receiver who genuinely wants his quarterback to look as good as possible. Because London knows perhaps better than anyone that his success is tied to theirs.

That's why, when a quarterback drops back in the pocket and lets the ball fly, London has one thought in mind.

"Whenever they throw the ball," he said, "I try to make them right."

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