NFL Analyst Only Lukewarm on Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons have a ton of confidence in quarterback Michael Penix Jr. That was made clear when the team invested nearly all of their offseason assets on defense.

Granted, the Falcons didn't have an abundance of salary cap space or draft capital this year. The team then gave up draft capital to make their defensive splashes in this year's rookie class.

The Falcons were willing to do that, though, because of the expectation Penix will develop with the strong supporting cast the team already has on offense.

But not everyone is very confident in Penix. Bleacher Report's Damian Parson gave the southpaw quarterback a five out of 10 on his 2024 QB Class confidence meter Friday.

"Penix Jr. played in five games and started three with obvious peaks and valleys in his performance. Although he was not expected to play, he started as a rookie with Cousins being the big-money free agent," wrote Parson.

"Penix is the starter entering year two, though. He has a strong coaching staff around him, which puts him in the most advantageous position as a first-year starting QB. He also has a strong support cast around him, with running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London leading the way.

"Penix needs to be more consistent from the pocket and improve his accuracy, ball placement and completion percentage. If these boxes are checked, the Falcons will compete with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South division crown."

It's not hugely surprising Parson's confidence is "middle-of-the-road" with Penix. A lot of national pundits are hedging their bets with the Falcons new quarterback this spring.

But Falcons fans are likely to take issue with where Penix is stacked compared with the other second-year quarterbacks on Parson's confidence meter.

Among the second-year signal-callers, Parson is only less confident in New Orleans Saints' Spencer Rattler and Minnesota Vikings' J.J. McCarthy than Penix.

In other words, Parson has higher expectations for Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels, Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams, Denver Broncos' Bo Nix and New England Patriots' Drake Maye next season.

Penix completed 58.1% of his passes for 775 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions as a rookie.

The Falcons signal-caller could surely have better accuracy. He registered a completion percentage below 56% in his final two starts.

But in his last start, Penix also displayed why he was a top 10 pick, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns on 38 attempts during Week 18. Although the Falcons lost, Penix led the Atlanta offense to 38 points.