Falcons take Washington QB Michael Penix at No. 8 overall

The Falcons prioritize their long-term future at quarterback, grabbing a player they plan to sit for now and start later.

The Atlanta Falcons have taken a rumored but still surprising road with the No. 8 pick, selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix as their long-term answer at the most vital position on the roster. It’s a pick that will undoubtedly be divisive for this fanbase and analysts alike.

The appeal with Penix is not difficult to understand for this team, given how the Falcons are built out and who is coaching them. As I wrote when these rumors really got going back in early April, Penix has a terrific arm, thrives in the pocket, and generally makes very good decisions, all things offensive coordinator Zac Robinson covets after working with Matthew Stafford and now working with Kirk Cousins. Assuming the offensive system is much the same a couple of years from now, Penix will be a comfortable fit as the team’s long-term starter, and provides compelling insurance for an aging, recovering-from-a-major-injury Cousins. His ability to avoid pressure, his track record, and his arm clearly drew the Falcons to him.

The question marks around Penix are significant, though, and are going to spark ire and concern. Penix will be a 24-year-old rookie, meaning if all goes well, he’ll be 26 or 27 when he finally takes the field as the team’s starting quarterback in a post-Cousins era. He also suffered significant injuries repeatedly during his college days at Indiana, which will generate justified fear that those injuries may rear up again and his career may be shortened as a result. Penix is also not the best passer on the move and is not known for his pinpoint accuracy, weaknesses he’ll need to work on during his time behind Cousins.

The Falcons likely made this move because they feel confident and comfortable in who he is as a player, and that they have the infrastructure in place to develop Penix and draw the best out of him, a product of a new offensive staff heavy on quarterback coaching experience. While he’s older, quarterbacks have longer careers today, and the Falcons are betting that the time they can put into coaching him up will be well-spent and will give Penix the opportunity to be a five, eight, or ten year starter in Atlanta when he’s called upon to top the depth chart. The fact that the team should be picking later in 2025 and may be down significant draft capital thanks to a looming punishment from the NFL over the Cousins tampering situation likely drove them to ensure they got a rookie quarterback they loved in the here and now.

That rationale is there, but again, I’m sure many will be flabbergasted that the team sunk a top ten pick into a quarterback after signing Cousins to a massive deal. I’m a little surprised myself. While I’m glad to see the team making a long-term plan for the inevitable day that Cousins declines and/or suffers a significant injury, the team’s lack of defensive investment to this point and the missed opportunity to grab one of the top EDGEs in this class is something that we’ll be closely scrutinizing in the years to come.

If Cousins is healthy and effective and ends up playing three of the four years of his contract, the Penix investment is likely to be criticized until (or if) he gets on the field and does great things, and that will seem more than fair. This is not a risk-free selection from a team secure in its success, but a high-upside investment and insurance for Cousins, one that means the Falcons are going without a premium talent elsewhere.

It’s difficult not to have mixed feelings in the wake of this selection, in other words, but I do genuinely like Penix as a quarterback and think he’ll thrive with time and development in Atlanta. I do worry that the Falcons missed out on players who might help them right now, during a time they fully intend to contend for the NFC South title and perhaps more, and that we will look back on that and lament the decision because of that. The questions concern how long his Falcons career will be and when he’ll be called upon, but the Falcons clearly believe Penix is very much worth the investment. Let’s hope they’re right.