2024 NFL Draft: Michael Penix Jr. to Atlanta Falcons: "It makes no sense to me," says expert

The Atlanta Falcons made the most surprising pick of the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft when they took Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. It was a shocking move after the Falcons signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal last month that could pay as much as $180 million. At 35-years-old, Cousins isn't a long-term answer at quarterback for Atlanta, but the assumption was that the Falcons would go all-in building around him for at least the next few years.

The Falcons would have $65 million in dead cap if they cut Cousins after two seasons, though that number drops to $25 million and then $12.5 million in seasons three and four of the deal. It's a move that surprised many, reportedly including Cousins himself, so be sure to see what the team at CBS Sports HQ had to say about it.

CBS Sports HQ is a 24/7 streaming sports network that offers news, highlights and analysis, easily accessible for free on connected devices. HQ has been analyzing the NFL Draft for months and has full analysis of every major storyline, including reaction to the Falcons picking Penix.

CBS Sports HQ is currently available on CBSSports.com; the CBS Sports app for key connected TV devices including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku, the CBS Sports mobile app for iOS and Android and the streaming service Paramount+. Watch it anytime right here. 

Pete Prisco is the Senior NFL Columnist at CBSSports.com and a regular NFL analyst for NFL and NFL Draft coverage on CBS Sports HQ. Prisco is known for his instant first-round grades that can be viewed on the site and on HQ. Prisco joined Ryan Wilson on Thursday evening shortly after the Penix pick and gave his reaction and grade.

Pete Prisco grades the Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. pick

"I give it a B-," Prisco said on HQ. "You know I like the player. I think he has all the skills to be a good starting quarterback in this league. But it makes no sense to me from that standpoint. You have Kirk Cousins, you paid Kirk Cousins."

"I know they have a two-year out on him, so that means he'll have to sit for two years behind Kirk Cousins and then play. I don't love this pick for the Falcons. Good player, bad situation. Don't love it." See the full reaction right here. 

Top Day 2 2024 NFL Draft storylines, news, records

Now that the dust has settled from a historic first round that saw a record-breaking number of quarterbacks picked early, the 2024 NFL Draft gets underway with Round 2 on Friday evening. Round 3 will also be held during Day 2, with Rounds 4-7 occurring on Saturday.

A late run on receivers took Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette off the board heading into Round 2. Big names remain there, however, as Ladd McConkey of Georgia and Adonai Mitchell of Texas are among the best players available, per the consensus big board at CBSSports.com.

Veteran receivers could also be in the spotlight as the San Francisco 49ers could look to move Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel after picking Pearsall in the first, so there will be plenty of potential NFL Draft trade scenarios to explore for the CBS Sports HQ crew. Get NFL Draft analysis on CBS Sports HQ. 

So what are the top storylines for Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, and which teams will dominate their picks? قراءة المزيد ...