Very few people saw this one coming. The Pac-12’s last NFL draft was a very successful one, with eight Pac-12 players being picked in the first round. Of the eight selections, none was more surprising than Michael Penix going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8. USA TODAY Sports NFL draft analyst Nate Davis weighed in:
“A sublimely talented passer who turns 24 next month, no telling now when Penix – a starter the past six seasons at the FBS level – will be back in the lineup now that he’s stuck behind Cousins for the foreseeable future. A guy who finally shook the injury bug, his four seasons at Indiana all curtailed by knee and shoulder woes, might have to cope with being a healthy scratch for at least the next two years.”
Why the Falcons acquired Kirk Cousins in NFL free agency, only to then grab an injury-prone quarterback who is already 24 years old, makes no sense. Penix is a play-now player, not someone who should be stashed on the bench for the next two years. The Falcons‘ thought process is really hard to figure out here.
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