Moorpark High grad Drake London's ascension at USC likely to pay off in NFL Draft in Vegas

As opposing secondaries have learned, Drake London cannot be stopped.

Not even by the first significant injury of his life.

The former Moorpark High multi-sport star was voted the Pacific-12 Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year last month, despite being limited to eight games by a broken ankle suffered Oct. 30 against Arizona.

Now, despite the physical setback, it seems London will be a first-round pick when the NFL Draft is held in Las Vegas in April.

“It’s all surreal, to be honest,” London said. “I’m excited. I’m a little bit nervous, because I’m on the young side of things. I’ve been working towards a goal like this since as long as I can remember, for as long as I had a ball in my hand.

“For it to be actually happening is absolutely crazy.”

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ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked London as the No. 7 player on his draft board last month. Other outlets ranked him 12th (ESPN Scouts Inc.), 19th (Sports Illustrated), 23rd (Pro Football Focus) and 27th (CBS).

Recent NFL mock drafts slotted London in the first round at No. 11 overall to Washington (Pro Football Focus), No. 18 to Cleveland (ESPN), No. 19 to Philadelphia (USA Today), No. 26 to Kansas City (The Athletic) and No. 27 to Detroit (CBS).

London is 75-1 to be the No. 1 overall pick, according to DraftKings.

“I said it in an interview in the preseason, he’s the best receiver to come out of the 805 in history,” said former Hueneme High and USC receiver Keary Colbert, who was London’s position coach with the Trojans. “I meant that. That’s how much I’ve thought of him. He went out and did it. I’ll forever be proud of the way he handled himself. … He’ll be fun to watch over the next years.”

Colbert knows a few things about playing the receiver position at USC and in the NFL. After starring for Hueneme and USC, he was drafted in the second round by the Carolina Panthers in 2004 and played in the NFL until 2011.

At USC, Colbert has helped develop some of the best young receivers in the NFL, including Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, Indianapolis’ Michael Pittman Jr., the former Oaks Christian High star, and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown.

London is his next star pupil.

“Coach KC has added to my toolbox,” London said of Colbert. “Every tool you can possibly think of. He’s helped me tremendously. It’s icing on the cake that he’s from the same area. It was a dynamic duo for the books, for sure.”

Colbert said London, who is still just 20 years old, matured quickly at USC.

“There was a lot that I was proud of him for,” Colbert said. “He was named captain. He was a leader by example. He became more of a vocal leader, as well.

“I think he understood the way that people looked at him. It was really cool to see him come in as a freshman and keep his head down and work hard. He leaves as one of the most decorated players in college football and he obviously has great things ahead of him.”

Twice in October, London threatened Robert Woods’ USC record of 17 receptions in a single game. He had 16 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown against Utah and 15 receptions for 171 yards against Notre Dame.

But USC was out of both games in the fourth quarter, and London didn’t want to set a record under those circumstances.

“I definitely knew about the record,” London said. “They asked me during one of the games if I wanted to go back in, so I could break it. But we weren’t winning. I told them I didn’t want to do it in that fashion. I wanted to do it with the win under my belt. I wanted to do it in a better way.”

USC’s disappointing 4-8 season, which included head coach Clay Helton’s firing in September, didn’t limit London’s season-ending haul, which included USC Most Valuable Player honor and Pro Football Focus first-team All-American selection.

“I think I’m just blessed enough to have people in my corner, even from different teams,” London said. “It’s a testament of Coach KC’s work, Coach Helton’s work, Coach Donte (Williams’) work, getting me right throughout the spring and fall camp and getting me right throughout the season.”

The Star caught up with London during the holidays late last month, as he rehabbed his ankle injury at the Athletes First facility in Santa Ana.

London had shed his crutches the previous day and proclaimed his recovery ahead of schedule.

“Right now, I’m just focusing on rehab, trying to get my ankle back as fast as I possibly can,” London said. “I’m moving faster than I should be. That’s really good. I’m on a very good track.”

London suffered a fractured right ankle when he was tackled awkwardly as he scored a touchdown with 4:15 left in the first half of the Trojans’ 41-34 win at the Coliseum.

When he was injured, London led Power 5 Conference players in receptions (88) and receiving yards (1,084) and was seemingly well on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.

“I went out there with a mission and I tried to compete as far as I could get,” London said. “Unfortunately … I got injured in the paint, scoring a touchdown. I can live with it. I went out with a bang.”

Colbert feels the injury cost London what he deserved — the Biletnikoff Award.

“I felt like it was used against him,” Colbert said. “It wasn’t his fault. He definitely was in the zone. Think of Steph Curry or some of the best basketball shooters. They get in the zone of making shots. Everything they throw up, they know it’s going in. That’s how I felt about Drake this season.”

London came down with seemingly everything quarterbacks Kedon Slovis or Jackson Dart threw up last fall. He led college football with 19 contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Everybody in the building knew where the ball was going,” Colbert said. “The other team knew. It really didn’t matter. That’s a testament of his hard work and his dominance.”

Despite growing up active in both football and basketball — London was named Male Athlete of the Year by the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame as a senior in 2019 — the injury was a new experience.

“This is my first true injury that I’ve had to deal with,” London said. “The first bone that I’ve broken. … The process has been great so far.”

When the junior announced he was leaving USC after three seasons for the NFL, he captioned the Instagram post with the words “Fight on forever!”

“It’s been a blink of an eye,” London said of his three years at USC, “but I’ve definitely taken the time to soak in those cherishable moments.”

“There’s plenty of memories I could think off the top of my head. The ones that stick with me the times I spent with my teammates, being in the locker room, being in the atmosphere, being surrounded by guys who were on the same mission as you.

“Those are memories that I’ll keep forever.”

Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for he Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Drake London's ascension at USC likely to pay off in NFL Draft in Vegas