Falcons scouts liked Laiatu Latu “a lot” but coaching staff loved Michael Penix

NFL: MAR 01 Scouting Combine

The Falcons are making headlines again, and it’s more information about the club’s offseason process that led to signing Kirk Cousins in free agency and then drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick.

From a story by ESPN pundits Jeremy Fowler and Marc Raimondi, reports reveal that the Falcons organization was split on drafting Penix, with the front office liking Laiatu Latu while Morris and his coaching staff fell in love with the southpaw signal caller.

“The coaching staff, beginning with first-year leader Raheem Morris, had fallen in love with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. That was evident from the way coaches presented Penix in personnel meetings — a quarterback with maturity, football instincts and arm strength.

Some members of the scouting staff, which Morris inherited when he was hired Jan. 25, didn’t share that same level of love for Penix — but they did like him. Those scouts liked UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu “a lot” as a potential option with the No. 8 overall pick, according to the source.”

The Falcons pass rush has long been a weakness and every single offseason the fan base hopes for an acquisition of a premier sack artist. Whether it’s through free agency or the draft, Atlanta has been waiting for the team to bring in a consistent double-digit sack pass rusher.

When the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins, many expected the club to either 1) add a defender, probably a pass rusher, or 2) give him another weapon, like Rome Odunze. Apparently, Cousins was under the same impression.

Latu ended up going to the Colts and has reportedly been turning heads at training camp. The UCLA pass rusher was considered the most technically refined of the class, and the Falcons could obviously use a guy like that.

However, the alternative to the Penix-Cousins experiment is not even worth talking about if everything goes according to plan. The Falcons will have good quarterback play for the next decade-plus; that’s infinitely more valuable than any pass rusher.

There’s a narrow runway for the Falcons, though. There’s a distinct possibility that it blows up in their face, but if it works out, they’ll look like geniuses.

Photographer: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire

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