The Falcons set their sights on Michael Penix Jr, and they didn’t feel like they could afford to trade out of the 8th pick and still land their quarterback of the future. A lot can be said about the selection, but this thought process is right. If you find a quarterback you love, you don’t trade back in hopes he falls further. You go ahead and take your guy.
That’s what the Falcons did, but there was a report soon after the first round that said Terry Fontenot aggressively attempted to trade back into the first round, which has now been confirmed. In a recently released video from moments before the Falcons went on the clock for their pick, Jets general manager Joe Douglas can be seen saying the Falcons are staying at eight. Not only that, but they also have interest in trading for the Jets 10th overall selection.
This is interesting: #Jets GM Joe Douglas says the #Falcons told him they are sticking and picking at No. 8 and then would also be interested in trading for the Jets' No. 10 pick….
So it seems like Atlanta wanted Michael Penix Jr. and then wanted to come back all the way back… pic.twitter.com/9LkhQPoG6E
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 1, 2024
It was reported that the Falcons had interest in getting back into the first round to pick Laiatu Latu out of UCLA, who was the first defender off the board, taken 15th by the Indianapolis Colts. Given how the Falcons went about the next three rounds of the draft, picking three straight defensive linemen, it would be a fair assumption.
We’ll know in a few years if it would have been worth it for Latu, but that would have been one helluva trade up the board. The Falcons would have had to part ways with a ton of draft capital in this year’s and next year’s draft to make that kind of move, which would have been especially odd, considering they signaled that they are more concerned about the future than right now when they took Michael Penix.
It is just another moment that makes you go, “What the hell are they thinking right now in Flowery Branch?”
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Photographer: Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire
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