2024 NFL Draft: How Could They Do This? Atlanta Falcons select QB at 8

@Tre'Shon Diaz

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2024 NFL Draft: How Could They Do This? Atlanta Falcons select QB at 8 image

The Atlanta Falcons drafted a QB at 8.

How could they do this…

The Atlanta Falcons drafted a 24-year-old (in less than 2 weeks) QB at 8.

How could they do this...

The Atlanta Falcons drafted a 24-year-old (in less than 2 weeks) QB at 8 AFTER signing a QB to a 4-year $180M contract in March.

How could they do this...

Once again, the Atlanta Falcons were the punchline during one of the NFL's most highly visible weekends. Many have asked how the team could rationalize taking a Quarterback at 8. Atlanta's situation seems simple: signing a 100M guaranteed QB means you draft a player that will play now, or at least that's what everyone will tell you.  

How could they do this?

Kirk is already here. The Falcons added the best quarterback in the entire free-agent class. How could they take Penix, a QB, at 8 (and not even pick up the phone, tsk tsk)? They're clearly in win-now mode. When you think of winning, you think of Kirk Cousins (9th-most wins since entering the league in 2012). The contract backs up their belief. Cousins is on a two-year timeline at worst, and that should be enough security for a team to go all in on the 36-year-old coming off an Achilles rupture. 

How could they do this?

Look at this roster. It's ready to win now. Last year, only Ridder slowed it down. The team simply needed an EDGE 1, EDGE2/3, WR2, SS, CB2, DL3, LB3, and with the 8th pick, you could've satisfied those needs.

The Head Coach and GM said it themselves: "They hired the wrong guys if they thought we were going to lower expectations, take our time, and rebuild…That's just not who we are. The expectation is to win now, build for the future, have plans." Oh, wait, sorry, that was from Arthur Smith.

This is the one from the current regime:

Do their actions match their words?

How could they do this?

He was the 4th best QB. It's a universal fact that Penix was QB4; ask anyone (except anyone who disagrees). When you ask the Falcons, he's QB2, but we should always trust the evaluations of others and not those on the team. The Offensive Coordinator is Zac Robinson. What does he know? ZRob was high on Herbert and Mahomes, worked with Sean McVay, and played the position himself, but the odds of him being right about Penix seem few and far between.

Luckily, most people don't dislike the player; when you scour the internet, most seemed to feel that if Penix could read the middle, he'd be more than ideal. Is one quality so hard to master? Now that he's sitting and learning from one of the best at it, does that not help the matter? 

How could they do this?

The offense is ready. The pieces are in place. They've spent their first pick on offense each year, and it's time to make haste. Wait, isn't that why Kirk Cousins is here? If he's worth the money, then winning the NFC South is within reach, and if you make it to the dance, then any team is liable to get beat.

How could they do this?

Is it maybe fair to start asking how could they not? Three years have passed since the quintessential franchise quarterback departed, and times have been tough. Maybe two 9-10 win seasons aren't so bad if years of 11+ can, once again, start being had. Like all things in life, this move comes with risk, but it's always unsettling to watch people play the cards differently had you been holding them.

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@Tre'Shon Diaz