Falcons Make Bizarre Selection in 2024 NFL Re-Draft

The 2024 offseason will likely prove to be a crossroads for the Atlanta Falcons. The organization not only signed quarterback Kirk Cousins but also drafted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.

After a terrible finish to the 2024 campaign for Cousins, Penix is Atlanta's future.

But in a curious decision, CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso argued on Feb. 17 that if the Falcons had a chance to do last offseason over again, they would not draft Penix.

"The Falcons have needed a prominent edge-rushing presence for more than a decade," Trapasso wrote. "Robinson came into his own down the stretch flying around the corner in his rookie season."

Falcons fans shouldn't disagree with what Trapasso wrote. With the exception of about one season when the team went to the Super Bowl, Atlanta has needed a dominant edge rusher for more than 10 years. Robinson appears to be on his way to developing into one.

But after that, Trapasso is going to lose every Falcons fan with an argument that implies Atlanta made a mistake with drafting Penix.

While it was odd the Falcons signed Cousins and selected Penix, with hindsight, the mistake was signing Cousins, not drafting Penix.

A lot of the criticism around the Falcons picking Penix was because of the risk involved. He entered the NFL Draft almost 24 years old and with a history of season-ending injuries.

He played only a small sample in 2024, so we can't clearly state Penix has put those concerns to rest. However, Penix looked sharp late in the season to the point that multiple analysts are labeling him a 2025 breakout candidate.

Now a year after his draft selection, the long-term risks with Penix seem to have dissipated. Therefore, it should be a much more obvious choice for the team to pick Penix, its quarterback of the future, in any 2024 re-draft.

Let me put it another way -- if an NFL team needs a quarterback, and that team can select its future behind center or a dominant defender, the organization should take the quarterback.

That should happen every single time even with Atlanta's annually pass rushing issues.

Unfortunately, the Falcons weren't able to couple Penix with a strong Day 2 edge rusher last year. Outside of Penix, the 2024 draft class, which included three defensive linemen in rounds 2-4, was largely disappointing.

But the edge rusher class in 2024 was rather weak. It's much stronger this spring, so there's hope the Falcons can land their Robinson-like edge rusher this year.

The quarterback class this spring, though, is not deep. If the Falcons had only added Cousins last year and Robinson instead of Penix, then Atlanta would again be targeting a quarterback in a weak draft class as it did with Desmond RIdder in 2022.

The Falcons may not have been aware of all these facts when they took Penix last year. But Trapasso was when he oddly projected Robinson to the Falcons at No. 8 in his re-draft.