DRAFT STUNNER 👀 Why did the Falcons pick Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8? | SC with SVP

Adam Schefter and Louis Riddick join SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt to discuss the Atlanta Falcons selecting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after signing Kirk Cousins to a 4-year/$180 million contract earlier in the offseason.

#NFL #Falcons #Penix #Cousins
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the stunner of the
night Washington Husky quarterback
Michael penx Jr eighth overall the
Falcons they just signed Kurt Cousins
last month four years a buck 80 penx LED
all FBS quarterbacks and passing yards
last season was the highman trophy
runner up got to the national title game
as well here’s the newest quarterback on
joining cousins in
Atlanta I’m blessed for the opportunity
you know I’m going take I’m going take
advantage and make the most out of it
you know for for me you know coming in
obviously Kurt Cousins a guy who’s been
in the league you know um he’s been in
there for a while you know he’s played a
lot of football and um so I feel like
for me I I’m gonna come in and I’m Gonna
Learn I’m gonna learn from him you know
try to try to soak in all the knowledge
that I can from him because obviously he
he’s been in he’s been in the lead for a
while like I said and you know it’s a
reason behind
that Adam schfer after a very busy day
on television on social media kind
enough to join us just before midnight
here on the East Coast I know our
reaction here Adam was combination of wo
wow I don’t know how to be best phrase
it you’re a bit of a headshake there if
you’re Kurt Cousins and you’re the new
guy in town what was the reaction from
his perspective as you understand it
Adam Scott the Falcons called Kirk
Cousins while they were on the clock to
let him know that they were going to be
selecting Michael penx Jr now there had
been some explanation to Him in Advance
during free agency that at some point in
each of the next two years the Falcons
wanted him to know that they had an
interest in picking a quarterback at
some point it’s just that Kirt cousins
didn’t expect it would be this draft in
round one with the eighth overall
selection but that’s exactly what it
turned out to be because the Falcons
head coach Raheem moris truly loved the
prospect that Michael penck Jr was and
if we go back to when Matt Ryan was the
quarterback and they traded him to
Indianapolis they brought in a slew of
quarterback and I think the organization
was taunted by The Experience so much so
that even after shelling out all that
money for Kurt Cousins they felt the
need to come up with a successor for a
quarterback who’s still coming off for
Tor Achilles so now they’ve added two
quarterbacks this season which is two
more than they felt like they had in
previous years Kirk Cousins Michael
penck Jr but Kirk Cousins found out
moments before you and I did as the
Falcons were on the clock wow with all
that Talent at wide received what seven
went in the first round still a lot left
it’ll go tomorrow and over the course of
the weekend uh Michael penck Jr heading
to Atlanta Adam shefer thank you very
much for your time look forward to
following you throughout the weekend in
the draft my friend thanks Scot all
right Atlanta’s first move of the a
season after they moved on from Arthur
Smith after three consecutive 79 Seasons
Raheem Morris comes in coached 11 games
as the team’s in head coach in 2020 they
signed cousins to a 180 8 million
contract last month then used the eighth
pick of tonight’s draft on pennx Jr
moments
ago Atlanta’s GM sat down to explain why
they made this
selection all right we ready y all right
guys very excited about today about the
outcome uh of today uh being able to add
uh Michael pennick Jr um when you can
add a high caliber player like that um
with his
intangibles um those tools um he’s a
winner um very very excited you don’t
pass up that opportunity um and uh Kirk
Cousins is our quarterback we’re very
excited about Kirk very excited about
this team um and Michael penck is we’re
talking about the future the draft is um
you look at the future and you look at
big picture um but we are very excited
about that quarterback room um and and
again Kirk is our quarterback but adding
Michael pennix is thinking about the
future leis you understand the front
office mechanics much better than I but
I’m just doing a little math here and
I’m not talking about the 180 million
I’m talking about the four years for
cousins so if he’s your starter for four
years penx is there for going into his
fifth which is when you got to figure
out options and theoretically he hasn’t
played what are we doing here I don’t
get it I I you know what I we were all
sitting here on the desk and we were a
little bit stump too I just did not see
that coming whatsoever considering how
much of a fit Kirk Cousins is Kirk
Cousins is for Atlanta the fact that his
kind of Veteran experience is exactly
what that young group of skilled players
that they has that they have really
needs someone who’s really familiar with
the offense that Zack Robinson’s going
to run down there and we just we just
never thought that quarterback even
though it may be a you know something
that they wanted to address at some
point to have a succession plan to make
sure that they’re thinking ahead while
also trying to address the president we
thought that it would be something maybe
that they would do but with the eighth
overall pick with all those pass rushers
those Edge rushers that were still on
the board at that time which was every
single one of them with Raheem Morris
knowing how important pass rushers are
and something that Atlanta has not been
able to address for years down there how
close they are to being title contenders
in that Division and maybe making some
noise in the NFC overall especially
considering what Kirk Cousins is going
to bring to the offensive side you just
didn’t see Michael penx coming off the
board there you just didn’t as a matter
of fact many people didn’t see Michael
penx coming off the board before JJ
McCarthy let alone coming off the board
at number eight so it was one of those
deals where you kind of sat back and you
had to kind of like take a deep breath
and go well you know for me I started
thinking what did Andy Reid always say
what do what was always the Green Bay
Packer philosophy the Ron wolf
philosophy which was you know something
similar to the best time to get your
franchise quarterback is when you don’t
need a franchise quarterback okay but
you’re right the math the timeline line
doesn’t necessarily add up here although
who knows look Kirk is coming off at Tor
ailles right he is getting up there in
age you never know what the future holds
I just would have expected them to get
someone who would be an impact player
right now not maybe three four years
down the road you could have taken a guy
from Washington named romad dun who went
next and that would have been somebody
the cousins might have liked to throw
the ball to that’s not the route they
went and I think you can love the penck
story which I think we all do you can
love the arm Talent you can love the
accuracy and just be a little bit
confused by why you’d go that route at
eight all right in terms of a pick you
Lewis rck loved tonight where do you
where do you look I’m going at number 30
with Baltimore selecting Nate Wiggins
from from Clemson I said here on the
desk when it happened that this is a guy
who plays like a raven and that’s
something that John Harbaugh talks about
all the time that’s their DNA down there
what exactly does it mean it means
maximum effort maximum physicality
positional versatility and the guy and
guys who who will run and hit and this
kid has all of that big Long Tall 428 in
the 40 all the hustle plays that he had
at Clemson can cover big guys little
guys play inside play outside play the
slot play the corner on the outside he
will fit in perfectly at a position of
need for them down in Baltimore and I’m
telling you the Baltimore Ravens fan
base will love the guy he is the
prototypical Raven he’s someone who I
identified early on in this process is
just being a guy who I said look if I’m
a GM I want dudes like that I want dudes
toward 61 185 pounds who will probably
get up to 19200 who run 428 yeah I’ll
take those all day long and so will the
Baltimore Ravens I think it’s a it’s a
home run pick for them isn’t it
interesting Lewis how often Through The
Years you and I have sat here and we we
find ourselves pointing at Baltimore and
saying like what they did right there’s
a there’s a reason why they’ve done
fairly well through the years look we’ve
just established that the P that the
pick at eight was was confusing if there
was another that was somewhat a head
scratcher in terms of fit or in terms of
who a team passed on where would you
look
there you know what really Scott I I
kind of liked how every team really
tried to address okay their needs while
at the same time not necessarily
reaching I really didn’t have a problem
with the way that the teams really
conducted themselves here the only thing
that you could possibly point to is you
know maybe Buffalo continuing to move
down when there were some good wide
receivers like an Xavier worthy or an
Xavier Legette still on the board that
you figure especially Xavier Legette who
wound up going at the end of the first
right where Buffalo could have wound up
picking him his profile to me fits
exactly what Buffalo needs that AJ Brown
body type the 61 220lb guy who runs 4-3
can jump to the top of the Empire State
Building and who is just an absolute
Alpha competitor that sounds like
somebody that Buffalo could use now
Carolina’s got him and Bryce young is
going thank you thank you Dan Morgan
that’s exactly what I’m looking for
that’s probably the one where I’m
sitting there going as far as a head
scratcher is concerned Why didn’t they
think that a guy like that could help
them but there still are a lot of good
wide receivers left on the board and
they pick I believe First tomorrow so
I’m sure they’ll address it yeah that
slant I want to say was against
Mississippi state that you were alluding
to man he caught it about two yards off
the line of scrimmage and was gone no
one touched the man and he uh they was
play the fight song stuff I’m just
excited no one’s playing any songs
Tonight Louis this is the first time
ever you and I aren’t having to scream
at one another to be heard at this hour
of the night great job tonight on the
draft look forward to the coverage
throughout as the uh second round gets
going 700 p.m. tomorrow night Louis
thank you so much
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