The Atlanta Falcons made the most shocking pick of Thursday night’s first round when they made Michael Penix Jr. the No. 8 overall pick of the NFL Draft.
The decision stunned just about everyone and ruined a few teams’ plans, as at least three franchises were looking to trade up into the top 10 to select the former Washington Huskies star.
According to James Palmer of NFL Media, the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders were all hoping to pick Penix. Unfortunately for all three of them, the Falcons snatched him up before either one of them could make a move.
The pick was a surprise as the team only recently signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million. Cousins was reportedly “stunned” by the decision, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
The Raiders were probably stunned, too, with six highly-rated signal-callers already off the board when they went on the clock at No. 13. The AFC outfit was expected to select a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft but pivoted to tight end Brock Bowers.
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GM Tom Telesco admitted that the team looked to trade up for a QB, though they didn’t try “particularly hard.”
“We looked into it… we kind of had a plan to maybe move up if the opportunity was there,” he said, per Sean Zittel for Vegas Sports Today. “It wasn’t there, we kept moving.“
A Record 14 Offensive Players Were Picked Consecutively During The First Round of The NFL Draft
The Saints used their No. 14 pick on offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. Head coach Dennis Allen said he was surprised at the number of QBs taken early.
“We felt like there was going to be a run on quarterbacks,” he remarked. “We didn’t think it was going to be six. There’s always picks that are kind of surprising.“
Their selection made it 14 consecutive offensive players, which set an all-time NFL Draft record as it trounced the previous number, which stood at seven from the 2021 draft.
Also Read: Everyone Noticed Something Strange About Brock Bowers’ Dad and Mom At The NFL Draft
