ESPN NFL analyst Booger McFarland did not hold back on his thoughts on the Atlanta Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. While appearing on NFL Live Wednesday, McFarland explained why the Falcons made a mistake drafting the former Washington Huskies quarterback at No. 8 overall in the draft last week.
“It’s tough to have your cake and eat it too,” McFarland began. “It’s tough to try to win now, which is why they signed Kirk Cousins to go with all those offensive weapons and try to prepare for the future, which is why they drafted Michael Penix Jr. To me, you got to do one or the other.
“Both of these picks make sense, but they don’t make sense together,” McFarland continued. “I don’t care how many times Adam [Schefter] talk about debating it, ain’t no debating going on. This was a bad pick. This was a bad pick for the next two years until Michael Penix Jr. gets on the field. And if he gets on the field before the next two years, that’s a waste of $100 million.”
The reason McFarland said it would be a waste of $100 million is because that’s how much Cousins will get from the Falcons the next two seasons. And while the Falcons made it clear that Cousins in QB 1, Penix is one play away from taking the field next season if Cousins gets injured.
Michael Penix Jr. will learn under Kirk Cousins
Penix is one of the six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the draft, and he will likely be the only one who won’t play right away. After the Falcons selected Penix, head coach Raheem Morris said Penix would be ready once he learns from Cousins.
“You’re talking about a guy that’s had a lot of success in the National Football League (in Cousins), and you’re talking about a young man coming into the league (in Penix),” Morris said, per the Falcons official website. “(Penix) is going to be hungry. He’s going to be eager to learn and just have a certain desire that it takes to sit back and learn. I watched Kirk do it. Now it’s Michael’s time to do it.
“You can’t put that on Kirk. Kirk’s job is just to be a professional. Kirk will show him the way by how he goes about his daily business every single day, and Michael will get a chance to see that firsthand. I think that’s really a good thing for a young player.”
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