Rounding up grades and snap reactions for the Michael Penix pick

How are you feeling, sport?

Michael Penix was the first round pick for the Falcons, and as you’d expect from such a selection, it was not exactly well-received in the hours to come.

Taking Penix might have been controversial if the Falcons hadn’t signed Kirk Cousins to a huge deal to be their short-term, high-end quarterback as the franchise seeks to return to the playoffs. Because they did sign Cousins, it was much more controversial pick, especially because if all goes well with Cousins we won’t see much of Penix until 2026 at the earliest.

Given that, I was curious to see what grades emerged from the post-pick noise, given that they’re poor long-term predictors of success but excellent for capturing how everyone’s feeling in the immediate aftermath of said pick. You’ll find them below, but you may want to sprinkle some holy water before you read them.

Falcoholic fan grade: F

We ran a snap poll last night, and as of the time I wrote this close to midnight, close to 50% of fans had given this pick a failing grade. Skimming through the comments, there were a handful of fans who liked Penix and supported the pick, another handful who liked Penix but were bewildered by the selection, and quite a few folks who hated the pick based on the Falcons electing to sign Kirk Cousins and Penix being an older quarterback prospect with a history of injuries. The hope is that this grade will age remarkably poorly, because if not, yeesh.

The Athletic: C

And we’ve found our first stunner. Months after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million, the Falcons go quarterback — and not J.J. McCarthy. Instead, it’s Penix, the nearly 24-year-old lefty. This is beyond interesting and, for Cousins, perhaps feels like a bit of deja vu from his days alongside Robert Griffin III.

Penix is a talented passer, to be sure. But there are questions here: his age, his health (he’s had multiple leg injuries), his consistency as an accurate passer and the fact Cousins is making a fortune. Penix doesn’t throw the ball over the middle with nearly the same confidence he shows outside the numbers. He’s going to have to figure out better answers versus pressure.

But his arm talent is outstanding, and it’s hard to bet against his perseverance. At No. 8, though? This feels a reach. Time will tell.

SB Nation: C-

Oh man. Look, I love Michel Penix Jr. and his game. The injury concerns very clearly didn’t scare teams away and neither did the wonky release. I just wonder why the Falcons would pick a QB at 8 knowing that Kirk Cousins is their guy for the next two to three years. This is confusing. Love the player, weird fit and spot to take him.

CBS Sports: B-

They opted to take their quarterback of the future by taking Penix. He has all the tools, but will learn and wait behind Kirk Cousins. I wonder if he can rush the passer. Like the player, but don’t like the pick.

FOX Sports: B+

Rang: Of all the scenarios I imagined for Penix prior to the draft, this might be the most shocking given Atlanta’s massive deal with Kirk Cousins. That, however, is no slight to Penix, the most gifted pocket passer in this class, boasting an absolute howitzer for a left arm. He is a quality athlete but is at his best when allowed to survey the field, showing the awareness and precision that translate to the NFL.

Bleacher Report: F

The addition of Cousins seemingly put the Falcons in the driver’s seat for the NFC South since they already had all of the other pieces they needed on offense. But with this Penix pick, the Falcons are preparing for the future before they can even claim the present.

Taking Penix at No. 8 is awful resource allocation. It’s also downright atrocious value. The Bleacher Report Scouting Department didn’t even have Penix graded as a first-round prospect.

This is a failure on every single level.

Grade: F

Yahoo! Sports: F

First F of the day! What is going on in Atlanta? This pick makes absolutely no sense. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins and are now drafting a six-year college starter to sit behind him for two years? What sense does that make? Penix isn’t the cleanest prospect and he has injury concerns. We’ll find out what this looks like when he sees the field in 2026 or 2027.