Michael Penix #QB08 of the Washington Huskies speaks to the media during the 2024 NFL Draft Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 01, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Falcons mystery pick in last week's NFL Draft may unfold if we give it some further thought. What mystery are we talking about? Well, of course we are talking about an NFL team that just signed a really good quarterback in Kirk Cousins to a 4 year deal worth $180 million dollars with well over $100 million dollars guaranteed. And then, weeks later, they used their first pick, 8th over all, in last week's draft on another quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. It was mind-blowingly odd!
SOLVING THE ATLANTA FALCONS MYSTERY
The Atlanta Falcons mystery continues further when you consider they are in a weak division, the NFC South. The division title is there for the taking! And, this Falcons team needs help in other areas, like defensive line. The Falcons applied almost no pressure on opposing quarterbacks last year. How about draft a defensive lineman in the first round and make this team better now?
Drafting Penix now does nothing to make this team better in 2024. Cousins is the present. Penix is the future. Some have suggested the Atlanta Falcons mystery pick was smart because they now have a succession plan in place. Some feel that the Falcons will be good for a few years and when it comes time to draft their next quarterback, they will be picking too late to get a really good pick.
But here is another thought that may explain the Atlanta Falcons mystery: The NFL is investigating whether the Falcons tampered with Cousins while he was still under contract with the Vikings. It's possible they may be punished by the NFL and forfeit a future first round pick. Therefore, they decided to use a pick on a future starting quarterback now. What do you think? Tune in every day for opinions and conversations like this on Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida.
