The Atlanta Falcons left many scratching their heads after they selected University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft last Thursday.
The Falcons just signed Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year, $180 million deal last month, so the fact that they then used their first-round draft choice on another quarterback seemed odd.
However, former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer loves the pick.
During a recent appearance on Outkick Sports, Dilfer explained why Atlanta made a great decision in taking Penix, saying that the Falcons are “looking to become Super Bowl contenders for a decade.”
Dilfer cited the Green Bay Packers as the model example here, noting how they took Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft when Aaron Rodgers was still under center.
Let’s also remember that the Packers drafted Rodgers back in 2005 when Brett Favre was still there.
We can also point to the Kansas City Chiefs doing this with Patrick Mahomes back in 2017, when the Chiefs selected Mahomes 10th overall and had him sit behind Alex Smith for a year.
The difference here is that none of those teams just signed a free-agent quarterback to a huge contract. It also stands to reason that the Falcons could have traded down a couple of picks and still landed Penix while simultaneously collecting more draft capital, although that’s always risky to do when you are trying to land a signal-caller, which was apparently Atlanta’s strategy.
Looking at it from the Falcons’ perspective, Cousins will be 36 years old when next season starts and is coming off of a torn Achilles, so there is no guarantee he will look like the Cousins of old. But if that’s really a concern for Atlanta, then why hand Cousins $100 million in guaranteed money to begin with?
There is no questioning Michael Penix Jr.’s talent. It’s more of a question of why the Falcons drafted him given their current situation.
We’ll see if this ends up working out for Atlanta.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
