The Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have had a similar path as the Broncos since 2017 with them looking for the guy of the future. Getting Cousins gave this team a new vision and new opportunities going into the 2024 season. Coming off a bad injury Cousins was on pace for an MVP style season so let’s look at the Falcons first four picks and see how they helped their new QB and team then review their future now.

At pick 8 the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr (QB). I will not take away the seasons Penix had but this pick still blows my mind to this day and I think it was a bad one for the team. They explained the pick well by saying they would not be up that high again because of Kirk being there but this team still has major holes and could have been addressed with that pick or a trade back to get a few more and they would have been in better shape. I say again I hate this pick for the Falcons not about Penix.

Pick 35 Ruke Orhorhoro (DI) is a solid grab for the team. Ruke has had around 1,300 snaps at the interior and had himself a very good year in 2023. Getting to the QB five times and pressuring plenty of times earned him a nod for a second round pick. He should see some good rotational snaps and will continue to get better but time will tell if he can withstand the test of time at the defensive interior.

The 74th pick Bralen Trice (OLB) is my favorite of the Falcons class. Trice somehow fell to the third round when I felt he could have been the second pass-rusher taken off the board with the production he had in 2023 and 2022. Trice has amazing size at 6’ 4 274 pounds and can put together an incredible bull rush and will be a nightmare for OT in years to come.

Another defensive grab at 109 being Brandon Dorlus (DT). Raheem Morris wants to turn this defense into a power house and adding good depth to a d-line can make all the difference when it comes to close games and having fresh legs in the fourth quarter of games will be a real positive for them. Overall, Dorlus and Orhorhoro are similar picks in the sense of their production.

The Falcons needed to have a better draft, it’s that simple. Trice was their best pick right now and I can’t imagine ownership is pleased with how this draft went for them. I can be very wrong of course but they earned my worst draft grade at a D+ for this class. Cousins makes this team better that is for sure and Raheem Morris will have the defense on point but a winning season is best case for the Falcons in 2024 and I’m being generous there.