(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons have a big season ahead of them, as expectations are now sky-high despite going 7-10 for the past three years due to the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins to get them to the next level. The Falcons made the most shocking pick of the draft by taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick despite signing Cousins, as many expected them to take a pass rusher, but perhaps the general manager knew something that fans don’t. GM Terry Fontenot spoke with Sports Illustrated and said that perhaps no Falcon has benefite ..read more

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)   People across the football world are still scratching their heads and wondering why the Atlanta Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick last week. They had signed Kirk Cousins, a veteran QB who has been named to the Pro Bowl four times, and they invested quite a bit of money in him by giving him a lucrative four-year, $180 million contract. According to Jordan Schultz on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak,” the Falcons went with Penix because they were extremely impressed with him when they worked him out prior to the draft. T ..read more

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons made one of the most shocking moves in recent history during the 2024 NFL Draft. After much speculation that the Falcons would add to their offensive or defensive line, they pivoted in a big way. The Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, a selection that came a few weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract. This move split the fanbase. On one hand, this move was an opportunity for the Falcons to lock down a future quarterback, building someone up and having them learn behind Cou ..read more

(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)   The Atlanta Falcons made a questionable decision in the first round of the NFL Draft. There were multiple reasons to like Michael Penix Jr. as a quarterback prospect, and even though he was deemed a late-first or early-second-round pick because of his age and injury-proneness, it wouldn’t be that shocking if another QB-needy team took him within the first 15 picks. However, the Atlanta Falcons didn’t strike as the kind of team that needed a quarterback, let alone in the first round. That’s why NFL analyst Booger McFarland believes it was a bad pick ..read more

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons were the most talked about teams in the NFL Draft. Their decision to go with Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick was as controversial as it was hard to explain. Most analysts expected them to go with a pass-rusher. Instead, they took a 24-year-old quarterback just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal. Nonetheless, it seems like they also intended to get their first-round pass-rusher; they just couldn’t pull it off. As shown in a clip shared by Ari Meirov on Twitter, the Falcons apparently tried to get the New Yor ..read more

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons made one of the most shocking moves in this year’s draft by selecting Michael Penix Jr. Heading into the draft, fans and analysts alike anticipated the Falcons taking a defensive player, given the team’s needs. If it wasn’t going to be a defensive player, there was also a belief that the Falcons would take an offensive lineman. They might have glaring needs in both of those areas, but the Falcons zigged in this draft when everyone thought they could zag. With the draft pick in mind, some fans immediately shifted their attention to ..read more

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons made the most shocking decision of the 2024 NFL Draft. Taking Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 wasn’t only shocking because of the pre-Draft projections but also because of the fact that they had just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, very substantial contract. Most people expected them to go after a pass rusher, with Dallas Turner as the likeliest choice. College football analyst Rick Neuheisel, instead, thought they should’ve given Cousins another weapon. Talking on The Dan Patrick Show, the renowned analyst claimed that the Falcons ..read more

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)   It’s been days since the 2024 NFL Draft came to an end, yet people continue to talk about the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons turned a lot of heads and drew mockery and criticism for taking QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. As talented as he is, Penix was expected to be a late first-round pick or even go early in the second round, as he has a long history of injuries and is one of the oldest quarterbacks in this class. Also, the fact that they had just signed Kirk Cousins to a multi-year, very lucrative deal, made this pick even more of a head-s ..read more

(Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons were widely expected to either take a defensive player or trade down from the No. 8 spot in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, Atlanta shocked the NFL when they decided to take Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. There were plenty of reports that Penix would be taken much earlier than expected after his strong Pro Day and pre-draft process, but no one expected the Falcons to be the ones to take the former Huskie. What makes the Penix pick so confusing is that Atlanta already seriously invested in Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Falcons gave C ..read more

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)   The Atlanta Falcons shocked the NFL world in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. Entering the draft, the Falcons were widely expected to take an edge rusher like Dallas Turner or Laiatu Latu or even trade down, but instead they took Penix, who was the fourth quarterback off the board. It was a puzzling decision as Atlanta invested heavily in Kirk Cousins, who they signed to a four-year, $180 million deal in free agency. Cousins is coming off an Achilles injury, but is expected to be ..read more