The Falcons shocked the world when they selected Michael Penix Jr. in Thursday’s first round.
Less than two months after signing Kirk Cousins to a $180 million free agent deal with $100 million in guarantees, Atlanta took his successor before he has even taken a snap.
The move has been met with overwhelming negativity, and it’s not hard to see why, but there’s an alternate reality where Atlanta still drafts Cousins’ eventual successor and brings a completely different reaction.
The Falcons had Penix rated as the QB2 behind Caleb Williams, and it’s not the prospect that everyone hates. It’s where and who he was drafted to, but what about if the Falcons had taken a different signal caller later in the draft?
I’d guess it would be met with positive reactions. According to Adam Schefter, the Falcons, along with the Broncos, were the clubs that liked Spencer Rattler the most.
"The two teams that liked Spencer Rattler the most were the Broncos and Falcons..
Those two options closed up immediately which left him sitting on the board longer than people thought he would" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qVXZabmgkY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 29, 2024
Rattler ended up being drafted by the Saints, and I think New Orleans is going to be really happy with their decision.
The Senior Bowl MVP gets a bad rap for his antics in high school on the Netflix series QB1. Moreover, a lot of Falcons fans are also resident Georgia fans and have a terrible idea of who Rattler truly is as a player.
Rattler had a successful season as a redshirt freshman with Oklahoma, tossing for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns to just seven interceptions but quickly fell out of favor in Norman when Caleb Williams arrived.
Rattler’s numbers won’t blow anyone away after he eventually transferred to South Carolina, but if you watched any Gamecocks games over the past two years, you know how poor of an offensive line Rattler had. He was running around for his life at times.
I honestly would’ve loved it if the Falcons took Rattler on Day 2 of the draft rather than Penix with the 8th overall pick. Again, I’m not a quarterback guru, but I do believe in Rattler’s physical abilities just as much as Penix’s.
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Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
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