- Atlanta selected the Washington QB with No 8 pick in the draft
- Cousins signed $180m contract with Falcons this offseason
The Atlanta Falcons provided the shock of the first round of the NFL draft by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr with the No 8 overall pick on Thursday night.
The Falcons extended their recent trend of selecting offensive skill players in the first round by drafting Penix one month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180m contract with $100m guaranteed. Using a draft slot normally targeted for players expected to make an immediate impact, the Falcons picked Penix as the apparent long-term successor to the 35-year-old Cousins.
The Falcons had been expected to use the pick to boost their pass rush.
The Falcons also focused on offensive playmakers with their last three first-round picks. Tight end Kyle Pitts was the No 4 overall pick in 2021, followed by wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson, each No 8, the last two years.
Penix, who will be 24 as a rookie, led FBS schools with 4,903 passing yards and was third with 36 touchdown passes at Washington in 2023. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player.
Mike McCarthy, Cousins’ agent, said the quarterback was ‘surprised’ by the selection. “Yes, it was a big surprise,” McCarthy told NFL Network. “We had no idea this was coming. The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation.”
