‘D for Dumbfounding’: Atlanta Falcons Draft Class Shredded by NFL Media

The Atlanta Falcons’ 2024 draft class has drawn many harsh reviews, with most pundits giving the franchise the lowest grade and dimmest endorsement league-wide.

But NFL.Com may have taken it a step further.

The Falcons’ eight-man draft class, which started with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, featured five players within the front seven and also included running back Jase McClellan and receiver Casey Washington, received the lowest grade in the NFC South — a “D.”

And in this case, the “D,” says writer Gennaro Filice, stands for “dumbfounding.”

“This grade will make people think I’m disparaging Penix. I’m not,” Filice writes. “In college football’s national semifinals, he artfully cooked a loaded Texas team that just set a program record with 11 players drafted. I was in awe of that performance, just like everyone else. What I’m disparaging here is the process.

“I didn’t understand it on draft night, I don’t understand it today and I’m unlikely to understand it for at least a few years, if ever. When such a bold decision is made with SUCH a premium pick, it acutely trumps everything else in the draft class.”

Atlanta had its choice of the draft’s top defensive players but instead chose Penix, the Heisman runner-up who battled injuries early in his career but rebounded to set Washington’s single-season passing yards record in 2022 and again in 2023.

But Penix was the Falcons’ second big quarterback move this offseason, which is where Filice’s problem stems from.

Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract March 13 to be Atlanta’s starting quarterback. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot have since said they have no issue with Cousins starting for the next three to four years.

And so, expending a top-10 pick on a backup is a thought process Filice can’t get behind.

“The NFC South is there for the taking right now,” Filice writes. “The Bucs held the throne with a 9-8 record last season and an 8-9 mark in 2022. When Cousins signed with the Falcons, they immediately vaulted to the top of divisional odds. Sure feels like it's GO TIME.

“If it’s not? Then Atlanta shouldn’t have given a soon-to-be 36-year-old quarterback $100 million guaranteed in the first place. If it is? Don’t you think this roster could use a closer off the edge?”

The Falcons’ braintrust has defended the pick by saying they’re following the Green Bay Packers’ model of a quarterback succession plan.

But Penix, as Filice points out, has 45 collegiate starts under his belt and is an older option than 21-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who went off the board two picks later to the Minnesota Vikings.

Thus, in his eyes, comparisons to the Packers model fall short.

“Even if the Falcons still view (Penix) as something of a developmental quarterback, spending the No. 8 overall selection on a developmental quarterback is the definition of a luxury pick, but Atlanta hasn't had the luxury of a winning season since 2017,” Filice writes. “So all comparisons to Green Bay’s approach with Jordan Love or Kansas City’s top-10 selection of Patrick Mahomes just ring hollow.”

There’s also the element of opportunity cost, with the Falcons now forced to watch the careers of premier pass rushers Laiatu Latu (Indianapolis Colts) and Dallas Turner (Vikings) unfold while Penix is expected to spend the next few seasons watching from the sidelines.

It’s a risk Atlanta felt was worth it, armed with the belief that Penix will become the franchise’s long-term solution. But Filice sees it differently, instead referencing the “curse” of franchise great John Abraham.

“Since Atlanta released Abraham in March of 2013, exactly one Falcon has posted double-digit sacks (Vic Beasley in 2016),” Filice writes. “Fontenot and Co. had their pick of the pass-rushing litter in this draft, but they opted for a backup passer.

“Consequently, Atlanta’s edge-rushing unit is headlined by Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, Zach Harrison and rookie third-rounder Bralen Trice.”

The Falcons feel confident in their group and the thought process behind their decisions. Outside pundits don’t.

Only time will tell whether Atlanta’s draft class “D” ends up being dumbfounding … or delightful.