The Atlanta Falcons have had one of the more unique drafts in recent memories, especially given the circumstances. Atlanta started with the most shocking pick of day one by acquiring their quarterback of the future in Washington's Michael Penix, Jr.. In the next two days, the Falcons fortified the defensive line with four of their last seven picks in the defensive front seven. But even some of the picks in the front seven left more questions than answers.
Either way, the Falcons have made themselves one of the more enigmatic team-building experiments yet again with this draft. These kind of bold moves will draw in some mixed reactions, as shown in the following draft grades.
Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer: C-
GM Terry Fontenot got plenty of heat from every direction for taking Penix in the top 10 after the team committed big money to Kirk Cousins. Penix's big arm is a good fit in the new passing offense, but the Falcons left a lot of elite, impact talent on the board as part of the opportunity cost. Not surprisingly, they chased that misstep by going defense-heavy for new coach Raheem Morris. McClellan and Washington were real offensive reaches on Day 3.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler: 32nd
Favorite pick: Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon
When revisiting this list in a few years, I might be completely wrong about the Falcons. Someone has to finish last, though, and the Michael Penix Jr. pick made it pretty easy. Though I am a fan of Ruke Orhorhoro, Dorlus in the fourth round was my favorite pick of this haul. He throws everything he has at blockers and offers the skill set to line up both inside and outside.
Day 3 pick who could surprise: JD Bertrand, LB, Notre Dame
A player with impeccable intangibles, Bertrand has the football character that endeared him to several teams throughout the process. But he also has on-field skills that suggest he can stick and make an impact. His instincts and quick trigger allow him to close on the football.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco: C-
Best Pick: Fourth-round defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus from Oregon has a chance to be an early rotation player. He's not huge at 6-3, 295, but he can push the pocket. He will be a steal in the Grady Jarrett mold.
Worst Pick: It's not that taking Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick was a bad move, but rather signing Kirk Cousins and then taking him was the bad move. If you liked him so much, don't sign Cousins.
The Skinny: This draft will be all about how the Falcons play out the Cousins-Penix dynamic. They had a chance to get a much-needed edge rusher if they didn't take Penix. Trading up to get defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round was questionable as well. They did add some good players in third-round edge Bralen Trice and Dorlus.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter: C+
It was a strange draft for the Falcons, primarily because of the Penix selection, which was perplexing given their investment in Kirk Cousins this offseason. Penix’s strong arm and accuracy from the pocket could make him a star if the injury woes that plagued him at Indiana don’t return. Trading up to grab the athletic Orhorhoro was a reach, in my opinion, especially given the team's need at corner. Trice met a crucial need on the edge.
Dorlus fits the mold of Atlanta's defensive linemen. He should be able to play 5-technique or 3-technique depending on where he is needed. Bertrand should contribute on special teams before moving to defense in time. McClellan and Washington -- who broke out as a senior at Illinois -- offer depth at the skill positions. They'll need to find cornerbacks in the undrafted free agent pool after failing to address the position in the draft.
PFF: C-
Penix — This is the first shocker of the night. Penix had gained more first-round buzz leading up to tonight, but no one thought the Falcons were in the quarterback market after signing Kirk Cousins this offseason. Penix was the only quarterback in college football who recorded more than 40 big-time throws during the 2023 season. Atlanta clearly values his skill set and will look to develop him behind Cousins.
Orhorhoro — Atlanta gives up its third-round pick to move up eight spots and take the 67th-ranked player on the PFF big board. Orhorhoro is a powerful, athletic defensive lineman with some versatility along the defensive line. That didn’t translate to high-level production at the college level, though, as he posted a sub-50th percentile pass-rush grade on true pass sets over the past two seasons. With several talented interior defensive linemen left on the board, this is a bet on his athleticism and continued development in the NFL.
Trice — Trice was one of the most productive pass-rushers over the past two seasons. This is the right spot for him, as the Falcons finally get the edge defender many expected them to grab early in the first round. Trice earned 90.0-plus pass-rush grades in each of the past two seasons and racked up 150 total pressures from 869 pass-rushing snaps in that span.
Dorlus — Dorlus was a force for the Ducks in 2023, as his 46 QB pressures ranked third among draft-eligible defensive tackles. His 134 total pressures since 2021 is the best mark in the country in that span for his position.
Bertrand — An intelligent and competitive linebacker, Bertrand provided value in coverage and as a pass-rusher over the past few seasons and should be a solid contributor on special teams at the next level. He has allowed no touchdowns in coverage the past two seasons and tallied a career-high 30 quarterback pressures as a blitzer in 2023.
McClellan — A reliable back out of Alabama, McClellan has lost just one fumble in his career on over 350 carries, displaying solid wiggle and contact balance on his way to forcing 49 missed tackles in 2023. He joins a stable of backs behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, limiting his offensive ceiling in Year 1.
Washington — It took a few years in Illinois’ offensive system to finally break out, but Washington is a reliable blocker and smooth mover who racked up 13 contested catches in 2023. He could find his way into a rotation if he can prove his value on special teams, something worth betting on due to his competitiveness and sneaky athleticism.
Logue — The Falcons draft an interior defender for the third time in this draft. Logue is coming off his best season, earning career-highs in overall grade (71.2) and run-defense grade (72.7) in 2023. Given the players drafted ahead of him, he will face an uphill battle for snaps as a rookie.
CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso: C
There's no one right way to build a team, and let's such say my drafting philosophy doesn't jive with Falcons GM Terry Fontenot. And that's fine. The Penix pick makes my head hurt, and a sizable trade up for a defensive tackle in Round 2? Don't get me wrong, Orhorhoro was one of my favorite interior rushers -- he's big, strong, and explosive -- but trading multiple picks to get him?
Trice and Dorlus have a distinct possibility to become the two best value selections from this class. They're so diverse in how they can get to the quarterback from their respective positions, and Dorlus can align anywhere. Bertand is heady but misses too many tackles for my liking, and Washington is an inflexible back-shoulder type. And no cornerback?!
Fox Sports' Greg Auman: C-
Taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 — after giving Kirk Cousins $100 million guaranteed last month — was easily the most criticized pick of the draft. Giving up a third-round pick to slide up eight spots for DT Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round felt like a reach, though Atlanta made a concerted push to upgrade its defensive front, using five of eight picks there. If Penix finds success in the next two years, it's at the expense of a huge investment in Cousins, and the class as a whole feels underwhelming.
The Ringer's Danny Kelly: C
The Michael Penix Jr. selection was as perplexing as any pick in this draft, and I say that as someone who actually likes Penix and believes he can be a future starter. It’s just tough to reconcile with the fact this team just gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million deal that keeps him in Atlanta for at least two seasons. We may not see the soon-to-be 24-year old Penix until 2026, or beyond, which makes passing on a day-one contributor a tremendous opportunity cost. Outside of the Penix pick, Atlanta did well to beef up their defensive front on Day 2 and Day 3: The team traded up for Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round, before adding a disruptive edge rusher in Washington’s Bralen Trice in the third and the versatile Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus in the fourth. The Falcons got better on their defensive front, but the short-term implications of taking Penix so early pulled down their overall grade.
USA Today's Nate Davis: D
They did the expected by reinforcing the defense with a highly talented but not all that productive front seven player (Ruke Orhorhoro, Round 2) – when they could have had Newton – and a highly productive but not physically remarkable front seven player (Bralen Trice, Round 3). But, naturally, their draft will forever be regarded and defined by the shocking decision to select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 selection.
There’s no legit argument against opting for quality depth under center given the annual league-wide attrition at the position – Cousins a prime example of the issue in 2023. But this is a highly suspect way to resource it after signing him to a four-year, $180 million deal last month, when he said he looked forward to retiring in Atlanta. And that also cuts to the handling of the matter – if the Falcons’ brain trust knew they wanted Penix, there was little chance they wouldn’t get him at No. 8 … which suggests the right thing to do would have been to share the plan with Cousins much earlier than when the team went on the clock Thursday. Maybe this team has set up a seamless succession plan between an established passer and a highly compelling prospect. And maybe the well has been poisoned, and a team that should have been totally focused on loading up around Cousins made a royal miscalculation.
NBC Sports' Eric Froton: D+
Quite the ignominious start for the Falcons, as Atlanta seemed to vex their brand new, extremely well-paid starting QB Kirk Cousins with the #8 selection, Michael Penix. He quickly pivoted to reinforcing the defense with the relatively raw DT Orhorhoro (-33 CBB), who didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He flashes elite acceleration with a 1.67s 10-yard split (96th%) and 4.89s 40 (94th%), while also recording 89th% agility scores and the second-most bench reps (29) from the Combine DL group for a near perfect 9.92 RAS. In spite of his athletic potential, it was a surprise that he went before Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton.
Edge Trice (+10) recorded 80 pressures with a 17.6% overall win rate (10th in P5) and 29% win percentage from true pass sets (4th in FBS) in 2023, but checked in at 6’034/245 after being billed in the 265 range in college, big difference. A model of durability and consistency, Dorlus (+29) earned 72nd percentile grades against both the run and pass in each of his last three campaigns. Last year he generated the second-most pressures among FBS IDLs with five penalties drawn and 5.0 sacks for the Pac-12 runner-up Ducks, but posted a missed tackle rate of 25%+ in three of the last four seasons.
Taking Penix after signing Cousins encourages mutiny and passing on Newton for Orhorhoro were highly questionable decisions, while Trice and Dorlus are both tweener-types for their positions. I’m all for “getting your guy, but each one of their R5+ selections is at least a -41 reach based on CBB. It’s hard for me to get behind the freewheeling nature of the Falcons’ draft.
Sports Illustrated's Matt Verame: A
Call me crazy, but I’m a huge fan of the Penix pick. The quarterback landscape could be great in two years. It could be barren. But if the Falcons are truly building toward the future, why not make the inevitable transition easy. I think there’s a lot of pro-Kirk Cousins sentiment out there, but Cousins will be 36 in August and is coming off an Achilles injury. He has also never reached a conference title game, so it was time to explore all options.
AP News' Rob Maadi: C-
QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 was the most stunning pick of the draft because Kirk Cousins just received $100 million guaranteed. DL Ruke Orhorhor (35) and DE Bralen Trice (74) bolster the defense. Reached on some of their Day 3 picks after starting strong with DL Brandon Dorius in the fourth round.
Sharp Football's Ryan McCrystal: B-
Instant impact: Bralen Trice, EDGE
Best value: Brandon Dorlus, DL
Riskiest pick: Ruke Orhorhoro, DL
I’m going to be much less harsh on the Falcons for the selection of Michael Penix Jr. than others because he was the second quarterback on my board. Drafting him after signing Kirk Cousins was odd, but I believe he’ll end up as their long-term starter after a brief Cousins era in Atlanta.
