Grading the 2024 Bengals Draft

[|SF2|]

53 minutes ago, BlackJesus said:

Re: Falcons

 

I was on record as saying the 2 best QBs in this class to me were JJ and Penix. So to me the problem isn't Atlanta taking Penix, it is taking Penix after giving Cousins a 100 million guaranteed. 

 

They knew they had the 8th pick when they signed Cousins and if they wanted a fresh start at QB, then don't sign him at all. If they didn't sign Cousins, the Penix pick would be an A to me. But because they did, it's a D. 

 

It would almost be as idiotic as the Bengals taking a QB in Rd 1 after signing Burrow and saying "it's good to have injury insurance, he was BPA". 

 

There's a certain point where your roster and financial commitments cancel out BPA and you have to think holistically and consider where your cap and draft capital is being spent.

Burrow was 26 when he re-signed a new contract,  Cousins is 35 coming off a major injury.  There is no guarantee Cousins will return to form.  Matt Ryan was going downhill quickly at 36.  They have too much talent to give up a year rebuilding with a rookie QB. 

[sparky151]

3 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

 

Every team has its unique ranking of players for how they feel will fit in their systems, the new coaching staff of the Falcons felt that Penix was an ideal fit for what they wanted to do and ranked him high on their big board. Many other teams and ex-players, including former NFL MVP and Bengals QB Boomer Esiason, are very high on Penix as a prospect. Do you know the style of offense that the Falcons are going run under HC Morris and OC Robinson? Do you know what type of QB would be best in that offense? What skill sets do they value and what do they want their QB to do at a high level? I would say that the GM, HC, and OC who get paid millions of dollars to study these draft picks and design these offenses know what players fit their systems better than any of us. If you have NFL talent evaluators and former players all saying "This guy is special" then maybe, just maybe, they know what they are talking about. 

 

As for the Cousins deal, it's really a 3-year deal in which he could be cut after 2 years with only $35MM in dead money. After year 3 the dead money is $12.5MM and he will be 39 years old, so the Falcons won't have to wait 5 years. Cousins is coming off a serious Achilles injury and the Falcons don't want to be suck with Taylor Heinike if he gets injured again.

 

Arthur Blank wants to win a Super Bowl before he dies, he's going to be 82 years old in a few months and he knows that he needs a good QB to win a Super Bowl. Drafting a potential franchise QB is the best way to ensure that the Falcons will win a Super Bowl in the 5 to 10 years....simple as that. 

 

This is a lot of nonsense. Yes, every team makes their own board reflecting their evaluation of the available players and their need for them. QBs have high positional value. Especially if you need one now. That's not the Falcons situation which is why as BJ noted, it was a terrible pick. Penix is also not a top 2 player in this draft. You didn't note that the Falcons GM is Terry Fontenot who isn't new with the coaches. He's the genius who thought Ridder and Heinicke was a good enough QB combo to win with last year. Every year, highly paid professional coaches and talent evaluators get fired. So that argument doesn't mean much. 

 

Sure Blank wants to win a Super Bowl before he dies. So does Jerry Jones and maybe Mike Brown. But Blank's chances of winning one would be a lot better if his team didn't waste top 10 picks. Fontenot drafted Kyle Pitts 4th overall in 2021. Pitts had a thousand receiving yards as a rookie. But it was merely a poor pick, not a horrendous one like Penix. He passed on JaMarr Chase, Penei Sewell, and Micah Parsons among others. Drake London was a top 10 pick in 2022. Does anyone think that looks good in retrospect? And if your argument is that he had no QB, then whose fault is that? 

[sparky151]

28 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Burrow was 26 when he re-signed a new contract,  Cousins is 35 coming off a major injury.  There is no guarantee Cousins will return to form.  Matt Ryan was going downhill quickly at 36.  They have too much talent to give up a year rebuilding with a rookie QB. 

 

If they are willing to pay Cousins $100 mil guaranteed for only 1 year of starting, then they have even greater problems in that their GM doesn't understand relative value. That money could buy lots of free agents if they are turning things over to Penix in 2025. 

[T-Dub]

Man who cares about the Falcons

 

Rarely even been relevant since Michael Vick. Hell their sorry division only mattered when Brady took his victory lap. High water mark most years is an early out to some wildcard team after making the playoffs with a .500ish record. Of course the Falcons are failing. The NFC South is crabs in a bucket of fail.

 

[PatternMaster]

2 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

This is a lot of nonsense. Yes, every team makes their own board reflecting their evaluation of the available players and their need for them. QBs have high positional value. Especially if you need one now. That's not the Falcons situation which is why as BJ noted, it was a terrible pick. Penix is also not a top 2 player in this draft. You didn't note that the Falcons GM is Terry Fontenot who isn't new with the coaches. He's the genius who thought Ridder and Heinicke was a good enough QB combo to win with last year. Every year, highly paid professional coaches and talent evaluators get fired. So that argument doesn't mean much. 

 

 

So here's some context for you, I live in Atlanta, follow the Falcons, and have met Terry a few times...he didn't think Ridder and Heinicke were good enough but Arthur Smith did, which is why he got fired and Terry still has a job. His experience with Ridder getting hurt and having to turn to Heinicke is why they made this pick and signed Cousins. They have had a bad QB room for the past 4 years and don't want to experience that ever again, it's not that hard to comprehend unless you refuse to do so. 

 

Again, I trust Terry and other professional NFL evaluators' judgment on this topic more than you and BJ. If he and Raheem Morris think that Michael is the 2nd best player for what they want to do then that's their perspective. They have more success and experience evaluating, coaching, and playing football than any of us on this website or in the media, for the most part. They know what they are trying to accomplish and if they feel like Penix was the best fit, then why not draft him? Penix was going to be a top 10 pick because if the Falcons didn't draft him then another team would. 

[|SF2|]

2 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

If they are willing to pay Cousins $100 mil guaranteed for only 1 year of starting, then they have even greater problems in that their GM doesn't understand relative value. That money could buy lots of free agents if they are turning things over to Penix in 2025. 

They don’t want to pay Cousins $100 mil for 1 year of starting, they want to pay him $135 mil for 3 years and win a Superbowl.  Oh, and they want their version of Jordan Love to step in  after that. 

[sparky151]

2 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

 

So here's some context for you, I live in Atlanta, follow the Falcons, and have met Terry a few times...he didn't think Ridder and Heinicke were good enough but Arthur Smith did, which is why he got fired and Terry still has a job. His experience with Ridder getting hurt and having to turn to Heinicke is why they made this pick and signed Cousins. They have had a bad QB room for the past 4 years and don't want to experience that ever again, it's not that hard to comprehend unless you refuse to do so. 

 

Again, I trust Terry and other professional NFL evaluators' judgment on this topic more than you and BJ. If he and Raheem Morris think that Michael is the 2nd best player for what they want to do then that's their perspective. They have more success and experience evaluating, coaching, and playing football than any of us on this website or in the media, for the most part. They know what they are trying to accomplish and if they feel like Penix was the best fit, then why not draft him? Penix was going to be a top 10 pick because if the Falcons didn't draft him then another team would. 

 

Lol. Nobody else was going to draft Penix in the top 10. Chicago wanted Odunze and probably declined trade offers to stay and pick. The Jets had trade offers and moved down 1 spot with the Vikings so they could take........wait for it.....McCarthy. Are you claiming to have top secret knowledge that the Vikings were crushed when Penix went to Atlanta? Or were they laughing like the rest of the league?

 

1 hour ago, SF2 said:

They don’t want to pay Cousins $100 mil for 1 year of starting, they want to pay him $135 mil for 3 years and win a Superbowl.  Oh, and they want their version of Jordan Love to step in  after that. 

 

Er, McCarthy would be a closer analogue to Love than Penix. Penix and Nix and Daniels were supposed to be the nearly finished product after 5 or more years in college. 

[|SF2|]

31 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

 

Lol. Nobody else was going to draft Penix in the top 10. Chicago wanted Odunze and probably declined trade offers to stay and pick. The Jets had trade offers and moved down 1 spot with the Vikings so they could take........wait for it.....McCarthy. Are you claiming to have top secret knowledge that the Vikings were crushed when Penix went to Atlanta? Or were they laughing like the rest of the league?

 

 

Er, McCarthy would be a closer analogue to Love than Penix. Penix and Nix and Daniels were supposed to be the nearly finished product after 5 or more years in college. 

Why would you choose McCarthy over Penix given what YOU just wrote?   If Cousins doesn’t play to standard or gets injured wouldn’t you want someone more ready to play?   
 

And why don’t care when he was drafted?   And why do you care what Atlanta does anyways??

[sparky151]

1 hour ago, SF2 said:

Why would you choose McCarthy over Penix given what YOU just wrote?   If Cousins doesn’t play to standard or gets injured wouldn’t you want someone more ready to play?   
 

And why don’t care when he was drafted?   And why do you care what Atlanta does anyways??

 

I'm in favor of the other 31 teams doing stupid things. Using a top 10 pick on a backup QB is just such a thing. It helped push Mims down the board to us. If the Falcons wanted to hedge against Cousins not being ready to play, the solution isn't to draft a rookie who also probably won't be ready on week 1, it's to sign a veteran backup QB who can be trusted to have a minimal level of competence. And if the idea is to find a long term successor to Cousins, McCarthy is a better choice than Penix. He's 3 years younger, healthier, and more mobile. The questions with him relate to his relative lack of passes in college on a run-first team. Three years from now that won't matter. He'll either have learned the Falcons system and settled in or not. Atlanta has a decent O-line and Penix ran faster than expected at his pro day, but he's a statue in the pocket and an easy target for d-linemen. He's also not as accurate as teams would like. That's why his receivers get so much credit for making contested catches. 

[Jamie_B]

Rookie Jersey numbers

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/cincinnati-bengals-jersey-leak-rookie-numbers-revealed?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1p1rjE7zUMq9Z3W6jeju2khwNW65wZFb8Jnu05ZLVfsH_apGbEZnb89z4_aem_AatxDpabm_S3Eg-heNZaqEKOYRXAP0kl-FQY5SAnu3erS33mELuJQY54LwdLKlHeN_6jqRMyipH0ru7LuFi2giIO

[|SF2|]

1 hour ago, sparky151 said:

 

I'm in favor of the other 31 teams doing stupid things. Using a top 10 pick on a backup QB is just such a thing. It helped push Mims down the board to us. If the Falcons wanted to hedge against Cousins not being ready to play, the solution isn't to draft a rookie who also probably won't be ready on week 1, it's to sign a veteran backup QB who can be trusted to have a minimal level of competence. And if the idea is to find a long term successor to Cousins, McCarthy is a better choice than Penix. He's 3 years younger, healthier, and more mobile. The questions with him relate to his relative lack of passes in college on a run-first team. Three years from now that won't matter. He'll either have learned the Falcons system and settled in or not. Atlanta has a decent O-line and Penix ran faster than expected at his pro day, but he's a statue in the pocket and an easy target for d-linemen. He's also not as accurate as teams would like. That's why his receivers get so much credit for making contested catches. 

A veteran backup solves nothing for the Falcons.  They are a dime a dozen and accomplish next to nothing.  They would simply be in the same place they were last January.
 

McCarthy is like every Alabama QB the last 15 years.  Hand off the ball to a future NFL running back running behind future NFL offensive lineman.  When necessary sit in the pocket for 10 seconds, wait for your future NFL wide receivers to get wide open and throw them the ball.    

[dex]

Wonder why Burton wasn't given his college number "3" since no returning player wears it as best I can tell? I did notice that Erick All gets to wear his college number "83," so it's not like every draft pick was just assigned random jersey numbers. 

[|BlackJesus|]

29 minutes ago, dex said:

Wonder why Burton wasn't given his college number "3" 

 

I wonder as well. Not like we are saving it for a QB or kicker. The marketing team is really dropping the ball on the 5-1-3 billboards. 

[|BlackJesus|]

[PatternMaster]

14 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

Lol. Nobody else was going to draft Penix in the top 10.

 

It's been reported that 3 teams were trying to trade up to draft Penix, wtf are you talking about.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/not-a-draft-shock-3-teams-tried-trading-into-top-10-for-michael-penix-jr-before-falcons-took-qb-per-report/

 

Stop making up stuff just to fit a narrative 

 

 

[Dautcom08]

12 hours ago, SF2 said:

A veteran backup solves nothing for the Falcons.  They are a dime a dozen and accomplish next to nothing.  They would simply be in the same place they were last January.
 

McCarthy is like every Alabama QB the last 15 years.  Hand off the ball to a future NFL running back running behind future NFL offensive lineman.  When necessary sit in the pocket for 10 seconds, wait for your future NFL wide receivers to get wide open and throw them the ball.    

 

Add in: and never really have to score many points or play from behind thanks to an incredible defense and offensive ball control.

[sparky151]

17 hours ago, SF2 said:

A veteran backup solves nothing for the Falcons.  They are a dime a dozen and accomplish next to nothing.  They would simply be in the same place they were last January.
 

McCarthy is like every Alabama QB the last 15 years.  Hand off the ball to a future NFL running back running behind future NFL offensive lineman.  When necessary sit in the pocket for 10 seconds, wait for your future NFL wide receivers to get wide open and throw them the ball.    

 

Er, veteran backups are useful. Most inexperienced backups aren't Jake Browning (who had been in the NFL for 5 years before starting a game). If the Falcons had say Jacoby Brissett instead of Heinicke last year, they may well have won their division. 

 

McCarthy is fairly mobile and both a good scrambler and accurate when throwing on the move. Penix is neither of those things, though he does have a lot more experience and is a good deep ball thrower. 

 

5 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

 

It's been reported that 3 teams were trying to trade up to draft Penix, wtf are you talking about.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/not-a-draft-shock-3-teams-tried-trading-into-top-10-for-michael-penix-jr-before-falcons-took-qb-per-report/

 

Stop making up stuff just to fit a narrative 

 

 

 

Lol. This piece says that some guy on Twitter was told by unnamed sources that the Saints, Raiders, and Seahawks tried to trade up into the top 10 for Penix. And they apparently only told him. But hey, you can't argue with anonymous sources, amirite? 

 

The Raiders GM did say he tried to move up for a QB but everyone in Vegas thinks he was referring to either Daniels if Washington was willing to trade out (they weren't) or McCarthy. And the Raiders were indeed on the phone with the Jets at 10 if you've seen the video from their war room. 

 

The Saints and Seahawks haven't confirmed they were looking for a QB, let alone willing to trade up, let alone that Penix was their target. 

[PatternMaster]

1 hour ago, sparky151 said:

 

Er, veteran backups are useful. Most inexperienced backups aren't Jake Browning (who had been in the NFL for 5 years before starting a game). If the Falcons had say Jacoby Brissett instead of Heinicke last year, they may well have won their division. 

 

McCarthy is fairly mobile and both a good scrambler and accurate when throwing on the move. Penix is neither of those things, though he does have a lot more experience and is a good deep ball thrower. 

 

 

Lol. This piece says that some guy on Twitter was told by unnamed sources that the Saints, Raiders, and Seahawks tried to trade up into the top 10 for Penix. And they apparently only told him. But hey, you can't argue with anonymous sources, amirite? 

 

The Raiders GM did say he tried to move up for a QB but everyone in Vegas thinks he was referring to either Daniels if Washington was willing to trade out (they weren't) or McCarthy. And the Raiders were indeed on the phone with the Jets at 10 if you've seen the video from their war room. 

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40065214/raiders-quarterbacks-draft-gardner-minshew-aidan-oconnell

 

"In fact, ESPN NFL draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. reported during the first-round broadcast that the Raiders attempted to move up for Penix."

 

Just stop, it's getting embarrassing at this point. The reality is Penix was a sought after prospect and was drafted higher than you expected, that doesn't make professionals NFL talent evaluators dumb...accept this reality and stop making up stuff to fit a narrative. 

 

[sparky151]

1 hour ago, PatternMaster said:

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40065214/raiders-quarterbacks-draft-gardner-minshew-aidan-oconnell

 

"In fact, ESPN NFL draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. reported during the first-round broadcast that the Raiders attempted to move up for Penix."

 

Just stop, it's getting embarrassing at this point. The reality is Penix was a sought after prospect and was drafted higher than you expected, that doesn't make professionals NFL talent evaluators dumb...accept this reality and stop making up stuff to fit a narrative. 

 

 

Uh, the ESPN writer doesn't confirm that what Kiper said was true, he says they wanted Daniels and would have been ok if Penix had been on the board at 13. Did you actually read the article? 

 

Do you want me to post articles quoting other team's personnel guys to the effect that the Falcons screwed up? 

[Jamie_B]

 

[dex]

On 5/1/2024 at 12:20 PM, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Not sure the detailed analysis was posted:

 

CINCINNATI BENGALS: B+

• 1 (18): T Amarius Mims, Georgia
• 2 (49): DI Kris Jenkins, Michigan
• 3 (80): WR Jermaine Burton, Alabama
• 3 (96): DI McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
• 4 (115): TE Erick All, Iowa
• 5 (149): CB Josh Newton, TCU
• 6 (194): TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona
• 6 (214): EDGE Cedric Johnson, Ole Miss
• 7 (224): S Daijahn Anthony, Ole Miss
• 7 (237): C Matt Lee, Miami Fl.

Mims — Cincinnati beefs up its pass protection in front of Joe Burrow by adding the massive Mims. He’s a fantastic athlete for his size but struggled with injuries at Georgia. Regardless, he allowed just six quarterback pressures across 402 career pass-blocking snaps and should start very soon, as Trent Brown is only a short-term solution at right tackle.

Jenkins — Jenkins is arguably the pound-for-pound strongest player in the draft. His 87.2 run-defense grade since 2022 ranked fifth among Power Five interior defenders, while his 82.7 PFF grade in 2023 ranked third among Big Ten interior defenders. Jenkins lacks length and an ideal pass-rush package, but his power alone will have him on the field on Sundays.

Burton — Despite sliding a bit due to some off-field concerns, Burton has a three-level skill set with great explosiveness and impressive ball skills. He didn’t drop any of his 57 targets this past season and could be a solid complement to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from Day 1 due to his downfield playmaking ability.

Jackson — Jackson projects as a nose or three-technique in a 4-3 defensive scheme because he excels as a one-gap penetrator. He’s limited by a lack of length, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 34 run stops since 2022 (third-most in the SEC) with 14 of them for no gain or loss (fifth in the SEC). He’ll need to learn to hold up to double team blocks and develop a pass-rush repertoire, but he can be successful in a rotation.

All — The Bengals find a potential long-term starter in the fourth round, with All ranking as the third-best tight end on the PFF big board. His 2.62 yards per route in 2023 ranked second among draft-eligible tight ends.

Newton — Ranking 12th among Big-12 cornerbacks, Newton earned an 87.7 PFF grade combined over the past two seasons. Across 413 coverage snaps last year, he allowed just one touchdown.

McLachlan — The Bengals doubled up on tight ends by adding the safe-handed McLachlan. He didn’t drop a single pass from 45 catchable targets in 2023. His 530 receiving yards and four touchdowns were both career highs.

Johnson — Johnson has a solid size-speed combination for an edge defender this late in the draft and offered solid production in his final season in college. From 850 pass-rushing snaps over the past three seasons, he racked up 107 quarterback pressures, including 13 sacks.

Anthony — Anthony allowed just one touchdown across 394 coverage snaps in 2023. Opposing quarterbacks managed a passer rating of just 54.7 when targeting him in coverage.

Lee — Lee was exceptional in 2023 with the Hurricanes, ranking 10th among FBS centers in PFF grade (79.1). He didn’t allow a single sack on 414 pass-blocking snaps, and his 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among FBS centers. Lee is well worth a swing here for the Bengals, a team that continues to find value late in the draft.

While I take all of these media grades (good or bad) with a large grain of salt, the 5 offensive players were clearly taken because of the way they figure to help Burrow in the passing game. 

 

- Mims did not allow a sack and only 6 pressure across 402 pass blocking snaps.

- Burton averaged 18 yards per catch over his college career and didn't have a single drop among his 57 targets last season.

- All was the 3rd best TE on the PFF big board and figures to add value both as a pass blocker and pass receiver.

- McLachlan didn't drop a single pass from 45 catchable targets in 2023. Racked up 530 receiving yards and 4 TDs last season.

- Lee didn't allow a single sack on 414 pass-blocking snaps; his 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among FBS centers.

[PatternMaster]

16 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

Uh, the ESPN writer doesn't confirm that what Kiper said was true, he says they wanted Daniels and would have been ok if Penix had been on the board at 13. Did you actually read the article? 

 

Do you want me to post articles quoting other team's personnel guys to the effect that the Falcons screwed up? 

 

The writer doesn't say it's not it true either, once again you are making up stuff to fit your perspective. Why would writer put Kiper's quote in his article if he didn't believe it was true? I read the article, it also says this..

 

Quote

 

So, how hard, exactly, did the Raiders try to trade up in the first round? "Not particularly hard," Raiders general manager Tom Telesco exhaled. "We looked into it ... we kind of had a plan to maybe move up if the opportunity was there. It wasn't there. [We] kept moving."

 

 

So clearly the Raiders, per their GM, tried to trade up to draft a QB...Their GM said it and a guy who has spent the last 40+ years of his life covering the draft reported it as well. 

 

Posting an article from other GMs saying the Falcons screwed up doesn't disprove that other teams were trying to trade up to draft Penix, so post whatever you want that's not going to disprove my point that there was interest from multiple teams to draft Penix in the top 10 of the draft...that's a fact and it happened...welcome to reality!!

 

Just because you or others didn't expect it doesn't mean it's stupid, maybe you should lay off the draft experts who are not experts but guys with a PFF subscription and too much free time. 

 

 

[PatternMaster]

28 minutes ago, dex said:

While I take all of these media grades (good or bad) with a large grain of salt, the 5 offensive players were clearly taken because of the way they figure to help Burrow in the passing game. 

 

- Mims did not allow a sack and only 6 pressure across 402 pass blocking snaps.

- Burton averaged 18 yards per catch over his college career and didn't have a single drop among his 57 targets last season.

- All was the 3rd best TE on the PFF big board and figures to add value both as a pass blocker and pass receiver.

- McLachlan didn't drop a single pass from 45 catchable targets in 2023. Racked up 530 receiving yards and 4 TDs last season.

- Lee didn't allow a single sack on 414 pass-blocking snaps; his 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among FBS centers.

 

I think the Bengals did a great job adding depth the to offense, I would have loved to seen them draft Frazier in the second round but outside of that it was a good draft. 

[sparky151]

5 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

 

The writer doesn't say it's not it true either, once again you are making up stuff to fit your perspective. Why would writer put Kiper's quote in his article if he didn't believe it was true? I read the article, it also says this..

 

 

So clearly the Raiders, per their GM, tried to trade up to draft a QB...Their GM said it and a guy who has spent the last 40+ years of his life covering the draft reported it as well. 

 

Posting an article from other GMs saying the Falcons screwed up doesn't disprove that other teams were trying to trade up to draft Penix, so post whatever you want that's not going to disprove my point that there was interest from multiple teams to draft Penix in the top 10 of the draft...that's a fact and it happened...welcome to reality!!

 

Just because you or others didn't expect it doesn't mean it's stupid, maybe you should lay off the draft experts who are not experts but guys with a PFF subscription and too much free time. 

 

 

 

Yes, the Raiders were interested in trading up. For McDaniels, who Pierce knew from high school and Arizona State.

 

Here's a set of quotes from several NFL executives on the Falcons draft:

 

https://theathletic.com/5464817/2024/05/02/nfl-draft-nfc-best-worst-classes-insider-reaction/

 

Poor Michael Penix Jr. The former University of Washington quarterback should be basking in his selection as the eighth player chosen in the draft. Instead, legions are wondering how the Falcons could have selected a quarterback so early just six weeks after signing veteran Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal.

“How you could go through free agency and think to yourself, ‘Penix is our guy, but let’s give $100 million to Kirk Cousins just in case Penix doesn’t fall to us at 8’?” an exec said. “Come on, man.”

 

 

 

Consternation over the Falcons trading up in the second round for defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro when, as one exec put it, “they had the guy from Illinois (Johnny Newton), who is a perfect fit for Raheem Morris’ defense as a three-technique, sitting on the board,” could not compare to the furor over the Cousins/Penix decision.

“There’s only one thing I could think of that would allow them to do that, and that is something happened in Kirk’s rehab (from a torn Achilles tendon) between when he signed and draft day that made them feel like, ‘Oh my God, we might not have him for more than a year,'” another exec said.

There’s no indication that happened.

“People say they can get out of Kirk’s deal after two years, which is basically saying, ‘Well, we expect him to fail, so we can get rid of the contract after ’25, but you don’t get to think that way when you’re putting $100 million into Kirk Cousins,” the exec added.

Attempts to find execs supporting the move proved futile.

“What if you are in minicamp and Cousins isn’t even taking snaps and you are like, ‘Oh my God, let’s go with Michael Penix,'” another exec said. “Because remember, moving Cousins is much more difficult than it would be to move Penix. You could be stuck with Cousins when you know Penix is the guy.”

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Other execs noted that current Falcons director of player personnel Ryan Pace was the Bears’ GM in 2017 when the team signed quarterback Mike Glennon to a surprisingly expensive deal six weeks before Chicago traded from No. 3 to No. 2 for quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Glennon earned $18.5 million for four starts. Cousins’ deal guarantees him $90 million over the next two seasons.

“I really like Penix, but if you are going to draft him, why would you not have taken Justin Fields from Chicago or signed Russell Wilson and then drafted Penix?” an exec said. “No one would fault you for that. They would have been much better off with money invested elsewhere. And the thing about Penix is, he is ready to play now. He is not the rookie QB that needs to wait.”

 

The biggest surprise of Round 1, Michael Penix Jr. will now wait his turn behind Kirk Cousins. (Dale Zanine / USA Today)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Execs tied the Penix decision to other questionable top-10 draft moves under GM Terry Fontenot, led by drafting tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4 in 2021.

“Remember, the reason they went with Raheem Morris instead of Bill Belichick (as head coach) was because he would not push back against the front office,” another exec said. “The two teams that rejected Belichick did the opposite of what Bill would have done, and that includes New England drafting Drake Maye.”

Execs rejected the thinking that Atlanta needed to snag a quarterback of the future now because the team could be picking much later in 2025.

“I’d love to know what the conversations were in Atlanta leading up to that and why there was no adult supervision,” a former GM said. “Truth be told, they could be good next year with Kirk Cousins, come away with the 25th or 26th pick, and then you take a quarterback in that range. That is what Green Bay did with Jordan Love, and it is fundamentally different from what Atlanta just did.”

 

 

[PatternMaster]

So no one put there names on this story...just a bunch of "anonymous sources" talking shit like some middle school mean girls...that's some hard hitting journalism..

 

Only time will tell if this was a smart move or not..