FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — If Kirk Cousins was playing favorites during Wednesday's practice, it was obvious Drake London was the guy.
It's not a huge surprise that it was London; it's also not a surprise that London had one of his best practices of the 2024 training camp thus far.
Cousins connected with London six times on seven targets. Oftentimes, it was on a deep route down the right sideline. Of the six grabs, the most impressive one came when the wide receiver made a one-handed reception with his 6-foot-4 frame essentially eclipsing the 5-foot-11 Natrone Brooks in coverage.
"He's been great at the catch point," Cousins said of London post-practice. "(He) takes pride in that, and expects to catch difficult catches. He expects to bring it in, and he separates well."
Cousins went on to talk about London as a target in general, saying sometimes you may question how a big-body receiver moves or separates himself on a route. But London's separation? Cousins likes what he sees.
"When you add his size, visually and otherwise, (he's) a friendly target where you feel like he's covered but he's open because he gives you a bigger surface area to throw the football," Cousins explained, adding that there's loads of potential to be tapped into with London.
You can certainly see the potential as one of the quarterback's strongest receivers. Cousins threw to six different pass-catchers in the most recent 11-on-11 session, but London was the most targeted and the most accurate on the day.
London was about as fired up as I've seen him during Wednesday's practice, too, and that's saying something, since the California kid usually turns his cool-headedness up a notch — or a few — on the field.
Take Monday's session, for example, London was revved up but for a different reason.
By my count, the wide receiver went 0-for-3 with defenders all up in his space, including impressive pass breakups by Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III and cornerback Anthony Johnson. Afterward, London was visibly frustrated.
Toward the end of Monday's practice, Cousins and London had an animated conversation discussing the routes and their outcomes from their different vantage points. The quarterback said they went over a look he saw in joint practices against the Miami Dolphins that he hadn't gotten a chance to cover with London yet. Cousins said he didn't count Monday's incompletions as drops with the tight coverage, but said London was still hard on himself.
Perhaps that contributed to London's bounce-back practice or maybe it was just Drake London being Drake London.
"Maybe he felt a chip on his shoulder (when he) came to practice today," Cousins said. "I think the challenge is — if that's the case — I'd go talk to him (and) say, 'We all kind of have to have that chip on our shoulder every day.'
"I would think it was just him coming out and being Drake London and having a good day."
