As the 2024 NFL Draft cycle wore down to its final days, Michael Penix Jr. was arguably the class’ most heavily discussed prospect. Then the Atlanta Falcons drafted him No.
8, weeks after giving a soon-to-be 36-year-old Kirk Cousins a four-year deal . Atlanta ’s selection of Penix wasn’t just the most curious of the 2024 draft because of what the team had already done with Cousins, it was odd and unexpected because — even as they came around on the former Washington signal-caller as a first-round pick — few talent evaluators had Penix in the top 10. Even fewer had him in front of J.
J. McCarthy and Bo Nix . One team did, though.
And we’re about to see if Atlanta was right. GO DEEPER What’s next for Kirk Cousins? How the Falcons could move on and where the QB would fit best The story of Penix’s on-field career is already a wild one. So it should come as no shock that he learned about his promotion to the Falcons’ starting job while shopping at Costco .
One of the toughest college football players in the country last season, mentally and physically, Penix overcame two major knee injuries, two major shoulder injuries and a career restart after four frustrating years at Indiana. His final two years at Washington were mesmerizing, and in his final run, the then sixth-year QB turned himself as prolific a deep-ball thrower as there was in the FBS last season and pushed the Huskies to the national title game. The context of Penix’s entire on-field career is complic.
