Falcons Embarrass Themselves With Disastrous First-Round Pick

The shock of the first round of the NFL Draft happened early, as the Atlanta Falcons embarrassed their city, their fans, and their entire organization by selecting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a defensible choice. However, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract earlier this offseason, essentially guaranteeing the 35-year-old would be their signal caller for the foreseeable future.

Considering Penix is already 24 years old, it's hard to make sense of this pick. Instead, the Falcons went out of their way to ensure they're the laughing stock of the entire 2024 draft process.

Atlanta Falcons Embarrass Themselves With Indefensible Draft Pick

As if things couldn't get worse, Atlanta reportedly did not inform Cousins that Penix would be drafted, creating an unnecessarily awkward situation. The organization now has two quarterbacks, neither of whom is sure they're actually wanted.

It's hard to imagine a more hilarious situation. The Falcons have Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, forming one of the NFL's most dangerous skill-position groups. All the team needs is competent quarterback play. By signing Cousins earlier in the offseason, it seemed that Falcons fans would quickly reach the playoffs and perhaps even contend for a Super Bowl appearance.

Instead, needless drama has been created by a front office choosing to repeatedly step on a rake when it could just step around instead. There was no need for this drama, yet Arthur Blank and his staff couldn't help themselves.

Rather than draft another weapon like Georgia tight end Brock Bowers or a defensive star, Atlanta chose to undermine its $180 million quarterback. The Panthers have a lot of work to do to contend, but at least the organization isn't the butt of all jokes.

Congratulations, Atlanta. You've somehow created sour lemons out of sweet lemonade when all you had to do was pour some ice in the glass.

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