Atlanta Falcons Draft Class NFL's Worst According to SI

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame ranked the Atlanta Falcons 2024 draft class as the worst in the NFL.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was arguably the most polarizing prospect in the 2024 draft. As a result, the grades for the Atlanta Falcons taking Penix at No. 8 were mixed.

Consider Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame on the side that hated the selection.

Verderame ranked the Atlanta 2024 draft class as the worst in the NFL. In his explanation as to why, Verderame ripped the Falcons for selecting Penix and made no reference to any of the other Falcons picks.

If that wasn’t enough, Verderame suggested Atlanta had the worst draft class this year by a long shot.

“This was an easy pick. Yes, Michael Penix Jr. has great arm talent, but he’s 24 years old,” wrote Verderame. “And, apparently, the Falcons are fine if he doesn’t become their starting quarterback until he’s eligible for an AARP card.

“Sometimes, there’s no reason to overthink things. Penix is a fine prospect, but a 24-year-old quarterback with two torn ACLs is concerning enough. To take him, despite myriad needs, at No. 8 is jarring. To do it when you’ve just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal? Bonkers.”

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot understood the move wasn’t going to be a popular choice among draft pundits. To his credit, he didn’t let that sway his evaluation, and he stuck to his guns on Penix.

“It’s unconventional because no one expected it, right?,” Fontenot told SI’s Albert Breer on Sunday. “It’s unconventional because that’s human nature, to say we expect something. And we say, This is going to happen, and when someone does something different and more uncommon in terms of what we expect, you say it’s unconventional.”

Penix tore his right ACL twice in college. He also dealt with a variety of other injuries, including a right ankle sprain and a rib ailment during the 2023-24 season.

That would have been enough for some teams not to even consider him at No. 8 overall.

But in his defense, Penix played his final-two seasons, both at Washington, injury free. Some NFL scouts also really like his potential at the next level because of his arm strength and deep-ball accuracy.

Penix is certainly a risk, but there's a high reward as well. If he develops into a franchise quarterback over the next couple seasons, then the Falcons will definitely not be seen as having the worst draft class in 2024.

“We knew in our heart if we had a lot of people in the building that loved him and expected him to be that player, and he’s somewhere else, then that’s unforgivable,” Fontenot told Breer. 

The biggest question entering this summer is when will Penix have the opportunity to prove he was worth the No. 8 selection. The Falcons also signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a $180 million contract, which included $100 million guaranteed, this offseason.

The Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills joined the Falcons on Verderame’s list of the five worst NFL draft classes.