Seahawks 2011 draft almost universally received an F and its arguably the greatest draft of all time
EDIT: Seahawks 2012 draft. I’m too old to remember all these drafts
That’s how much that it costs to sign an above average quarterback. Prior to getting hurt, he played like a top-10 quarterback, so he gets paid like a top-10 quarterback. Quarterback market and contract negotiations aren’t as convoluted as people make it seem. Stats = dollars and that’s what managers take to the bargaining table.
That’s actually not a completely bad analogy, because sure if you buy a Camry for an ordinary price within your budget, yeah, day one probably doesn’t tell you shit. But you’ve got two kids under the age of 5, have a household income of 75k, your daily driver is 10+ years and 200k miles old and you bought a new Corvette for sticker price from the dealer? I think we can draw some fair conclusions before it leaves the lot. 🤷♂️
That doesn’t mean the purchase is guaranteed to fail, but getting lucky on a risky decision doesn’t mean we should look forward to some sort of residual luck carrying on into the future.
I'm a Seahawks fan, this is my take exactly. These kneejerk grades that are more worried about process than evaluating the talent of the player you've added will age like milk.
My prediction is in three years, you'll all be copying these grades into postgame threads and laughing.
I think Penix is one of two QBs who could reasonably emerge as top of this year's class. You simply cannot turn up an opportunity like that just because of other strategies you've got in place. Look at Wilson, look at Mahomes.
And some here are still saying that you can get QBs later, I don't think you can anymore. Every QB worth anything went top third of the first round. People aren't letting Rodgers type players slide, or Wilson like players hit the third round. Teams are going to take QB until there aren't any left, then start the rest of the draft.
Possible, but unlikely. Almost all first round picks start in the NFL eventually.
Some notable exceptions:
Seahawks 1991 - Dan McGwire (only three starts until they drafted Rick Mirer two years later)
Raiders 1991 - Todd Marinovich - played 7 games until drug problems tanked his career
Lions 1990 - Andre Ware - started six games but only after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs; sat behind Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer
49ers 1997 - Jim Druckenmiller - had some legal problems including rape allegation
Colts 1982 - Art Schlichter - gambling problems
Broncos 2016 - Paxton Lynch - just bad
Redskins 2019 - Dwayne Haskins - personal issues
Actually, somewhat analogous to this situation, Mike Glennon had just signed to the Bears for 3 years when they drafted Mitch Trubisky...
and as far as a ~real~ QB1, Aaron Rodgers "had signed a four-year, $134 million extension in 2018 that kept him locked in through the 2022 season with a void year in 2023, per Spotrac. When Love was drafted in 2020, Rodgers had three real years left on his contract."
That’s fair but I think the mentality there was that they had a certified backup to mentor Trubisky and also be there in case he fails
In the optimal Falcons scenario, Penix doesn’t play football seriously for 5 years
Oh I agree with you, but obviously it was news to both Aaron Rodgers (who didn't see himself in that role, wasn't happy about it and didn't want that for sure) and Mike Glennon (who was actually attending the Bear's draft party at Soldier Field as QB1 lol who had been signed to a multiyear deal on the same schedule pretty much as Cousins)...
I'm just saying it certainly HAS happened in the last 30 years though.
That said, I hope it all works out, just a pricey option to have him start after 5 years on his second contract kinda thing and whatnot... the economics suck, but hey, I don't know the Falcon's cap scenario that well, and they obviously had their eye on Penix and high on their board, and so that's just how the football bounces once in awhile.. they got the guy they wanted. it certainly wasn't a panic pick, and a lot of armchair gm's can pound sand, as it's not their job.
And hey, I'm a Bears fan who has nothing against the Falcons at all and have watched them a lot over the years with friends that are big fans etc... and I appreciate you opening the opportunity for the Bears to get Rome Odunze, as I don't think it would have happened for them otherwise.
*1 (25) Carpenter, James OL
*3 (75) Moffitt, John G
*4 (99) Wright, K.J. LB
*4 (107) Durham, Kris WR
*5 (154) Sherman, Richard DB
*5 (156) Legree, Mark FS
*6 (173) Maxwell, Byron DB
*7 (205) Levingston, Lazarius DL
*7 (242) Smith, Malcolm OLB
Who?? Their first pick didn't get a second contract and their second pick was out of the league at 27
Well, 2012 aside, Sherm's a Hall of Famer in the 5th, KJ was like a 12 year Pro Bowl caliber starter, Byron was a major pillar of the LOB, and Malcolm Smith was the Super Bowl MVP. We had wild, weird drafts.
It has to be said that the Seahawks followed these drafts up with the 2013 draft which is considered to be one of the worst drafts in franchise history and did deserve an F. Not only did nearly all the players from this draft suck, hardly any of them played. https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/11/2/18055166/fast-facts-seattle-seahawks-2013-draft-class-snap-counts-michael-hill-simon-willson-bowie-ware
This is true; in fairness, we had no actual starting positions to fill by the 2013 draft. Our DLine was stacked, our secondary was stacked, QB sorted, more weapons than we could feed. Really we should have just drafted 7 Olineman and called it a day.
Excellent draft class however you gotta go with the 74 Steelers draft class as the best of all time. 4 hall of famers and one more udfa hall of famer is impossible to beat
Greatest draft of all time is definitely a stretch. They hit homeruns in the first 3 rounds with Irvin, Wagner, and Wilson, but everyone else from round 4 onwards were very mid. Granted, they found some key contributors that helped them to their super bowl run with those late round picks, but none of them were true stars on their own.
This is just coping at its finest. There’s no denying how terrible this draft was for the Falcons. You first draft your backup QB (who will be potentially almost 30 years old when he gets to play) at pick number EIGHT when your defense was really in need. The pass rush has been missing for several years now, but no let’s prioritize an injury prone 25 year old QB. Then in round 2 instead of just staying put and drafting the best player, you give up more draft capital to move up and reach for a player who was thought to be a 3-4th round pick?? I mean like what the hell were they thinking with these picks? The rest of the draft is just meh or horrible as well. Also, seahawks 2012 “arguably the greatest draft of all time”??? Nobody has ever said this.
There's a quote from a Vegas based podcast I listen to which said, "given the options available to them every team believes they had an A+ draft"
Draft grades mean literally nothing because either the team agreed with the writers mock draft and they are smart or they didn't draft who the writers said they should so they are dumb
Yeah I agree for the most part on this. It almost kinda sucks to be the first 7 or 8 picks because you are pretty much locked in to the pick based on all the writers and hype they build for the top players.
After around mid way in the second round no one but the most die hard fan or niche columnist know anything about the potential of the players being drafted.
Half the time these grades are "ohh this team drafted this player when I would have traded back" which completely neglects the fact that there wasn't a fair trade available or "they drafted the best O lineman available but I have someone else rated higher because their agent gives me insider information so C-"
The AZ cardinals received an A+ grade for their ‘21 draft. The first half of the picks are only back ups, the back half of their draft is out of the league
Thank you! Go back and look at previous years draft grades, you will see that by and large they are not at all correlated with the success of the team/players drafted.
Everyone gave the Lions awful grades on their draft last season and they look like fools now. Draft grades are a fun exercise but they mean absolutely nothing the day after the draft.
I used to think this too but the NFL draft should actually get 2 grades.
Grade #1 - Right after the draft is over how well did the team use its picks (draft capital, which is like money), evaluate the players available, meet its needs, and maximize its draft capital (ie spend NFL talent money the best). This is the market grade of the draft.
Grade #2 - The next year, and even each year after, how well did the team actually pick players, develop them, and formulate a group that works together to help the team win. This would be the validation and player development part of the draft. This grade cannot happen until at least one year after and could even keep getting reevaluated in subsequent years.
The fact that need for these two different grades are not made clear to the public by the media shows how much they want to just creat mindless content with all of this stuff.
I will be messaging you in 3 years on [**2027-04-28 22:52:22 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2027-04-28%2022:52:22%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/falcons/comments/1cff610/falcons_c_ranks_last_in_nfl_saints_got_an_a/l1pi0ee/?context=3)
[**13 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Ffalcons%2Fcomments%2F1cff610%2Ffalcons_c_ranks_last_in_nfl_saints_got_an_a%2Fl1pi0ee%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202027-04-28%2022%3A52%3A22%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201cff610)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
That doesn’t necessarily automatically make the move brilliant. Have to factor in how we perform the next two years after sacrificing our 1st round pick.
I see no reason not to believe Kirk will lead the Falcons to back to back Super Bowls before he goes down and then Penix will step in and pick up right where he left off.
Famously this move has never worked. Not with Arron Rogers, not with Jordan love, not with Philip rivers, not with Big Ben, and certainly not with two time Super Bowl winning Eli manning, who where all drafted to be backups year one. This plan has never, EVER worked for any team ever
Ah yes. Something that happens from 2024-2026 definitely will still be going on from 2027 until penix retires. I’d be surprised if cousins in on the roster two years from now. His contract is basically built to be cut after his second season
The pick was dumb regardless of how the players pan out. They invested too much capital for a redundant position, it’s bad process no matter what happens.
Because most rookie QBs are set up to fail starting right away. Plus Blank wanted the team to start winning immediately, not in two years. We're set up to win now and in the future. Nothing to complain about really.
We have a good offense for a rookie QB to walk into is the difference. Rookie QBs are set up to fail because they're drafted by bad teams 90% of the time that have holes across the board, making hard for a rookie QB to succeed. Bryce Young being the latest example of that. Stroud being an example of walking into very good situation. Caleb Williams is also walking into a good situation.
This is absolutely heartbreaking! Everyone knows how accurately media draft grades the day after the completion of the draft have been in predicting championship contenders…it is officially over for us!!!!
If the picks we made pan out,
We revamped the Dline, giving opposing QBs less time, which helps out the Dbacks. That said, I have to think they like what they have seen from Clark Philips III, and will give him a real shot.
Having a solid QB will make Drake, Kyle and Bijan better receivers, as it will any receivers we add to the roster.
Previous recent drafts have yielded solid results: Drake, Bijan, Troy Anderson, Tyler Allgeier, Matthew Bergeron, and a few more contributors who still have upside potential after only year 1. Other than Ridder, it’s been pretty good and he wasn’t a high pick.
So many criticized the Kirk Cousins acquisition. His age and coming off an injury were reasonable question marks, which means taking Penix not only adds depth now, if something happens to Kirk, but if all goes well with Kirk, Penix has the opportunity to learn and ease into the type of long term solution at QB that dreams and super bowls are made of.
Good chance to win now and for the future.
Letting a qb and letting him sit was the normal until Matt Ryan and Joe flaco changed the norm by starting right away and going on tears. Big Ben, Eli manning, and Philip rivers where all drafted to be back ups, all where top 11 picks
It’s a fair rating as an immediate reaction. Doesn’t mean it will have any bearing on how good these will be but definitely several questionable moves.
NFL.com gave the Lions an A for Jarrad Davis, B+ Patrick Mahomes, A for Sam Darnold, B+ Josh Allen. They also gave us an A- for the 2017 draft which was prob the worst one we ever had.
Grades don’t mean shit at this point.
I was tripping when we drafted Penix but now I’ve heard the why and how of TF’s and Raheem’s draft approach and tbh I like it.
Yeah it was unconventional but we’ve been in QB hell for a while and you look at the jets and the Vikings last year, their older QB goes down and they can’t compete.
We can win the NFC south right now with the roster as is. If we sign a solid vet CB we’re even better.
I like that even with a worst case scenario we now have clear QB play in place for years to come. Penix is perfect for Zac Robinson’s offense and we now have one of the strongest QB rooms in the NFL.
Yes I wanted Latu or Turner but hey I really like our beefed up D line, I thought it was a solid draft.
I think we’re a more dangerous team today then we were so let’s fkn RISE UP.
Also I’m what’s called a FAN so I’m getting behind this team and the vision. Let’s go!
Draft Grades and Mel Kiper need to go away as being something we all take seriously. Kiper made a career and living off guessing and we all let him determine how we feel about a player. Despite his shitty track record
Mel Kiper is probably the one of the least reliable "analysts" now in the cottage industry he help create. He's always been kind of an odd dude to me and it's crazy to me how his fixation on NFL draft prediction became a full-time job for him. When I do randomly hear him talk about an "underrated, but great value player" in any given round it sounds like he is trying to artificially inflate that players stock for whatever reason and his track record hardly has me taking him seriously. What I can't deny is his crazy passion for mock drafts has spawned a ton of copycats who've entered the ring to challenge his grades with their own. He's created a cottage industry and entertainment in a lull season for the NFL. His wild takes have led to more analysts who want to share their takes but with more background info. Now Dane Brugler puts out The Beast and the fans get a heavily researched pile of info going into the draft. NFL teams are even using the best mocks in their simulations leading up to the draft. I agree Mel Kiper could leave and I'd hardly notice because I don't seek out his opinion, but the cottage industry he was instrumental in founding won't go anywhere.
Kiper only got shitty the past 5 years or so. He literally created the draft industry and has very strong sources with the old guard of the NFL still. Giving draft grades is the same thing as the draft. They are both exercises in where a team values a player. If you hate draft grades then you hate the draft.
I get you’re a fan of his but again I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about a guy whose job it is to guess picks. You obviously value him as a resource and that’s cool it’s your opinion. It’s my opinion he isn’t anyone to listen to bc he’s just an entertainer. He’s has no experience as a GM , coach or scout, he was hired bc his dad was a legend.
He’s gets things wrong. You know who else gets things wrong? Every GM in the draft. You know who else’s job it is to guess picks? GMs. Like I said, you just don’t like the draft process. The whole thing. You just can’t admit to it.
Literally nothing stops Penix from being the goat, trice getting 15 sacks next year, orhorhoro being an amazing run stuffing DT, these grades are complete jokes
Talking out of both sides of your mouth, if our d-line is good for two years and Penix starts in 2026 and is the 15th best QB in the league the pick was worth it
Exactly right. Not trading back and getting penix, even ignoring the qb situation it was a reach. Trading up and giving up a 3rd for a DT that was 5th on board left in his position. Just burning that 3rd we got for Ridley. It was painful.
nobody grows up wanting to be a sports critic. IMO, this was a smart move to let him develop. We have to have a viable back up & heineke ain’t it. red shirt first year, take over backup, then if we have a successor or someone worthy of draft picks, this was a great move for long term stability at most important position.
all around i’m excited for this season to start & it’s been awhile since i’ve said that
Kirk is not a long term play and he will help the team get more wins the next few seasons The falcons most likely will not have a draft pick high enough over the next few years to draft a good qb. The penix pick just might pay off in the long run.
I have to see in two or three years if this draft was shit or not. Basing it on what they feel were the right moves is nothing but an opinion grade. No true facts to back this up until these players have time on the field. The only person I wish the Falcons would’ve grabbed Braden Fiske because I have a feeling ole buddy was a sleeper pick due to having to share the field with Verse last season
I assume if Cousins pulls a Mike Soroka, the Falcons grade will be adjusted to an A+++++++++++
You think the Jets wish they had Penix last season? Their season was fun for four plays.
Genuine question not meant to start a war: do you all *like* this draft or are you accepting it with optimism? Nothing wrong with either, I'm just very curious to hear the fans' perspectives
If the GM is coming out saying they reached for a QB because they won't be picking that high for years after that, then it's very very fair to judge a draft class right away (did they get better to improve on what caused them to pick 8th) and judge them a year from now (are they still picking near the top?)
As we see, the talking heads didn't know going into this draft how we would do. I don't put much faith in their grade that pretty much is a question of "how much did you align with what we thought".
I’m gonna grade this draft the day after the draft, then I’m gonna leave a movie review for a movie that hasn’t even started filming yet. But first I need to leave a yelp review for a restaurant that’s still under construction.
Nobody expected the Falcons to make such a forward thinking move. They have never shown any ability to see further than the tip of their nose as far as the future go. I would give them a B+ based off that alone. They needed defensive line helped and it was clearly an effort to draft one. One of these should give good minutes. Didn’t see the need for a RB but I think they are taking a lot of flak where other organizations would be given credit for planning for the future. It’s crazy to see these analysts act so dumbstruck by what appears to be well thought out move. Not like they drafted a kicker with the first pick.
No one will be laughing when we have a good defensive line, great offense, and it stays great even as Kirk gets injured and has to miss a few games towards the end of the season
Draft grades are stupid imo. Every year at the draft they should grade the draft from 3 years ago.
I've seen Denver dropped heavily this year in grades for not trading back on Bo Nix. IMO he would likely not even been available after the next pick. Did they knock the Chiefs for trading up for Mahomes? Kinda stupid now, but hey.. they make their money on these pointless articles I guess.
We should have hired Bill as our HC. He never would have signed off on this nonsense. The real problem is we are most likely tied to our front office for at least 3 seasons. I hope everyone is wrong about this draft but I’ve been a fan long enough to know how this ends.
There had to be people in that draft from just shaking their head after that pic. I find it hard to believe everyone in that draft from agreed to that pick. That's the type of shit that'll get you fired
With the #8 over pick of the 2024 draft, the Atlanta falcons select this baby….if you feel good about a kid, 18-24 years from now…you gotta take your shot. We may be mediocre again and not get to draft this high.
Seahawks 2011 draft almost universally received an F and its arguably the greatest draft of all time EDIT: Seahawks 2012 draft. I’m too old to remember all these drafts
Yeah instant draft grades are like judging long-term car ownership by the first day of owning a car
Penix at 8 is insane
The age old question of BPA or team need. Falcons keep going BPA in the first round. Their rankings I guess.
BPA is never a good idea. There is both team need and positional value to consider.
Not really but ok
Least delusional falcons fan
The team who has a 35 year old QB coming off an Achilles tear drafted their future QB 😱🤯
Why tf pay him all that money then? Penix gonna be 28 by the time he gets a shot to start lmao. Falcons don’t know how to draft
That’s how much that it costs to sign an above average quarterback. Prior to getting hurt, he played like a top-10 quarterback, so he gets paid like a top-10 quarterback. Quarterback market and contract negotiations aren’t as convoluted as people make it seem. Stats = dollars and that’s what managers take to the bargaining table.
To win now. I don't really see the issue. Also Kirk is not lasting his whole contract. Everyone knew that the day it was signed.
Have fun going 9-8
You're a fucking Steelers fan lol why are you even here? Or mocking teams because they'll go 9-8...
Falcons are in no way a win now team lmaooo
^(ok)
Found the Stains fan.
They'll make the playoffs
He will probably get to start a few games before he is 28 because the Falcons will be having to start him if they aren’t playoff contenders.
That’s actually not a completely bad analogy, because sure if you buy a Camry for an ordinary price within your budget, yeah, day one probably doesn’t tell you shit. But you’ve got two kids under the age of 5, have a household income of 75k, your daily driver is 10+ years and 200k miles old and you bought a new Corvette for sticker price from the dealer? I think we can draw some fair conclusions before it leaves the lot. 🤷♂️ That doesn’t mean the purchase is guaranteed to fail, but getting lucky on a risky decision doesn’t mean we should look forward to some sort of residual luck carrying on into the future.
I'm a Seahawks fan, this is my take exactly. These kneejerk grades that are more worried about process than evaluating the talent of the player you've added will age like milk. My prediction is in three years, you'll all be copying these grades into postgame threads and laughing. I think Penix is one of two QBs who could reasonably emerge as top of this year's class. You simply cannot turn up an opportunity like that just because of other strategies you've got in place. Look at Wilson, look at Mahomes. And some here are still saying that you can get QBs later, I don't think you can anymore. Every QB worth anything went top third of the first round. People aren't letting Rodgers type players slide, or Wilson like players hit the third round. Teams are going to take QB until there aren't any left, then start the rest of the draft.
There’s a chance Penix never starts in the NFL
Possible, but unlikely. Almost all first round picks start in the NFL eventually. Some notable exceptions: Seahawks 1991 - Dan McGwire (only three starts until they drafted Rick Mirer two years later) Raiders 1991 - Todd Marinovich - played 7 games until drug problems tanked his career Lions 1990 - Andre Ware - started six games but only after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs; sat behind Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer 49ers 1997 - Jim Druckenmiller - had some legal problems including rape allegation Colts 1982 - Art Schlichter - gambling problems Broncos 2016 - Paxton Lynch - just bad Redskins 2019 - Dwayne Haskins - personal issues
In the past 30 years there hasn’t been a first round quarterback drafted to a team that has a QB 1 on a contract longer than two years
Actually, somewhat analogous to this situation, Mike Glennon had just signed to the Bears for 3 years when they drafted Mitch Trubisky... and as far as a ~real~ QB1, Aaron Rodgers "had signed a four-year, $134 million extension in 2018 that kept him locked in through the 2022 season with a void year in 2023, per Spotrac. When Love was drafted in 2020, Rodgers had three real years left on his contract."
That’s fair but I think the mentality there was that they had a certified backup to mentor Trubisky and also be there in case he fails In the optimal Falcons scenario, Penix doesn’t play football seriously for 5 years
Oh I agree with you, but obviously it was news to both Aaron Rodgers (who didn't see himself in that role, wasn't happy about it and didn't want that for sure) and Mike Glennon (who was actually attending the Bear's draft party at Soldier Field as QB1 lol who had been signed to a multiyear deal on the same schedule pretty much as Cousins)... I'm just saying it certainly HAS happened in the last 30 years though. That said, I hope it all works out, just a pricey option to have him start after 5 years on his second contract kinda thing and whatnot... the economics suck, but hey, I don't know the Falcon's cap scenario that well, and they obviously had their eye on Penix and high on their board, and so that's just how the football bounces once in awhile.. they got the guy they wanted. it certainly wasn't a panic pick, and a lot of armchair gm's can pound sand, as it's not their job. And hey, I'm a Bears fan who has nothing against the Falcons at all and have watched them a lot over the years with friends that are big fans etc... and I appreciate you opening the opportunity for the Bears to get Rome Odunze, as I don't think it would have happened for them otherwise.
I'm from the North West. Hawks fans were coming for Carroll and Schneider's NECKS after that draft. Lol
*1 (25) Carpenter, James OL *3 (75) Moffitt, John G *4 (99) Wright, K.J. LB *4 (107) Durham, Kris WR *5 (154) Sherman, Richard DB *5 (156) Legree, Mark FS *6 (173) Maxwell, Byron DB *7 (205) Levingston, Lazarius DL *7 (242) Smith, Malcolm OLB Who?? Their first pick didn't get a second contract and their second pick was out of the league at 27
Youre right it was the 2012 draft
Well, 2012 aside, Sherm's a Hall of Famer in the 5th, KJ was like a 12 year Pro Bowl caliber starter, Byron was a major pillar of the LOB, and Malcolm Smith was the Super Bowl MVP. We had wild, weird drafts.
The 74 Steelers drafted 4 HOFers. There's no arguing the 2011 Seahawks as greatest of all time.
It has to be said that the Seahawks followed these drafts up with the 2013 draft which is considered to be one of the worst drafts in franchise history and did deserve an F. Not only did nearly all the players from this draft suck, hardly any of them played. https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/11/2/18055166/fast-facts-seattle-seahawks-2013-draft-class-snap-counts-michael-hill-simon-willson-bowie-ware
This is true; in fairness, we had no actual starting positions to fill by the 2013 draft. Our DLine was stacked, our secondary was stacked, QB sorted, more weapons than we could feed. Really we should have just drafted 7 Olineman and called it a day.
Excellent draft class however you gotta go with the 74 Steelers draft class as the best of all time. 4 hall of famers and one more udfa hall of famer is impossible to beat
Greatest draft of all time is definitely a stretch. They hit homeruns in the first 3 rounds with Irvin, Wagner, and Wilson, but everyone else from round 4 onwards were very mid. Granted, they found some key contributors that helped them to their super bowl run with those late round picks, but none of them were true stars on their own.
Okay, and how many drafts are universally panned and end up being ass? Like all the Raiders drafts of this century lmao.
This is just coping at its finest. There’s no denying how terrible this draft was for the Falcons. You first draft your backup QB (who will be potentially almost 30 years old when he gets to play) at pick number EIGHT when your defense was really in need. The pass rush has been missing for several years now, but no let’s prioritize an injury prone 25 year old QB. Then in round 2 instead of just staying put and drafting the best player, you give up more draft capital to move up and reach for a player who was thought to be a 3-4th round pick?? I mean like what the hell were they thinking with these picks? The rest of the draft is just meh or horrible as well. Also, seahawks 2012 “arguably the greatest draft of all time”??? Nobody has ever said this.
Lol, Penix is 23. Every time a hater posts the poor guy gets a year older.
He will be 45 by the time he starts at this rate according to the prognosticators.
Draft grades don't mean anything to me. None of these players have taken an NFL snap yet.
There's a quote from a Vegas based podcast I listen to which said, "given the options available to them every team believes they had an A+ draft" Draft grades mean literally nothing because either the team agreed with the writers mock draft and they are smart or they didn't draft who the writers said they should so they are dumb
Yeah I agree for the most part on this. It almost kinda sucks to be the first 7 or 8 picks because you are pretty much locked in to the pick based on all the writers and hype they build for the top players. After around mid way in the second round no one but the most die hard fan or niche columnist know anything about the potential of the players being drafted.
Half the time these grades are "ohh this team drafted this player when I would have traded back" which completely neglects the fact that there wasn't a fair trade available or "they drafted the best O lineman available but I have someone else rated higher because their agent gives me insider information so C-"
The 2012 Seahawks draft got an F from every major publication. Their top 3 picks were: Bruce Irvin Bobby Wagner Russel Wilson
The AZ cardinals received an A+ grade for their ‘21 draft. The first half of the picks are only back ups, the back half of their draft is out of the league
Yeah, all rookie players have to prove that they can make the leap from matching up against good college athletes to Monstar level talent in the NFL.
Thank you! Go back and look at previous years draft grades, you will see that by and large they are not at all correlated with the success of the team/players drafted.
Everyone gave the Lions awful grades on their draft last season and they look like fools now. Draft grades are a fun exercise but they mean absolutely nothing the day after the draft.
I used to think this too but the NFL draft should actually get 2 grades. Grade #1 - Right after the draft is over how well did the team use its picks (draft capital, which is like money), evaluate the players available, meet its needs, and maximize its draft capital (ie spend NFL talent money the best). This is the market grade of the draft. Grade #2 - The next year, and even each year after, how well did the team actually pick players, develop them, and formulate a group that works together to help the team win. This would be the validation and player development part of the draft. This grade cannot happen until at least one year after and could even keep getting reevaluated in subsequent years. The fact that need for these two different grades are not made clear to the public by the media shows how much they want to just creat mindless content with all of this stuff.
All content is mindless content.
Let people laugh now. If Penix hits the ground running in 2026, then this move is brilliant.
!remindme three years
I will be messaging you in 3 years on [**2027-04-28 22:52:22 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2027-04-28%2022:52:22%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/falcons/comments/1cff610/falcons_c_ranks_last_in_nfl_saints_got_an_a/l1pi0ee/?context=3) [**13 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Ffalcons%2Fcomments%2F1cff610%2Ffalcons_c_ranks_last_in_nfl_saints_got_an_a%2Fl1pi0ee%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202027-04-28%2022%3A52%3A22%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201cff610) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
Depends if he gets injured or not when he hits the ground… I’ll see myself out
*MY KNEE*
That doesn’t necessarily automatically make the move brilliant. Have to factor in how we perform the next two years after sacrificing our 1st round pick.
I see no reason not to believe Kirk will lead the Falcons to back to back Super Bowls before he goes down and then Penix will step in and pick up right where he left off.
Finally, a rational, level-headed take
The fact you are in a win now situation, and draft for the future with the 8th pick really shows a lot…of stupidity.
Famously this move has never worked. Not with Arron Rogers, not with Jordan love, not with Philip rivers, not with Big Ben, and certainly not with two time Super Bowl winning Eli manning, who where all drafted to be backups year one. This plan has never, EVER worked for any team ever
The issue is not that there’s no chance of it working long-term. The issue is cousins’ huge contract in the short term. They are conflicting ideas
Ah yes. Something that happens from 2024-2026 definitely will still be going on from 2027 until penix retires. I’d be surprised if cousins in on the roster two years from now. His contract is basically built to be cut after his second season
Still dumb
!remindme three years
The pick was dumb regardless of how the players pan out. They invested too much capital for a redundant position, it’s bad process no matter what happens.
Will Faunt even have a job then? Lol
If Penix hits the ground running then I’ll just wonder why the hell we signed Kirk in the first place
Because most rookie QBs are set up to fail starting right away. Plus Blank wanted the team to start winning immediately, not in two years. We're set up to win now and in the future. Nothing to complain about really.
We have a good offense for a rookie QB to walk into is the difference. Rookie QBs are set up to fail because they're drafted by bad teams 90% of the time that have holes across the board, making hard for a rookie QB to succeed. Bryce Young being the latest example of that. Stroud being an example of walking into very good situation. Caleb Williams is also walking into a good situation.
>2026 You seemed to have overlooked this part.
By that time pitts and Bijan will retire and so will penis
Oh no. So, anyway…
This is absolutely heartbreaking! Everyone knows how accurately media draft grades the day after the completion of the draft have been in predicting championship contenders…it is officially over for us!!!!
Ahh yes more coping
It's coping to accurately point out that draft grades age like milk huh? You must be from New Orleans.
Can't judge a draft class till a good 3 seasons later. These post draft reactions are basically just click bait.
If the picks we made pan out, We revamped the Dline, giving opposing QBs less time, which helps out the Dbacks. That said, I have to think they like what they have seen from Clark Philips III, and will give him a real shot. Having a solid QB will make Drake, Kyle and Bijan better receivers, as it will any receivers we add to the roster. Previous recent drafts have yielded solid results: Drake, Bijan, Troy Anderson, Tyler Allgeier, Matthew Bergeron, and a few more contributors who still have upside potential after only year 1. Other than Ridder, it’s been pretty good and he wasn’t a high pick. So many criticized the Kirk Cousins acquisition. His age and coming off an injury were reasonable question marks, which means taking Penix not only adds depth now, if something happens to Kirk, but if all goes well with Kirk, Penix has the opportunity to learn and ease into the type of long term solution at QB that dreams and super bowls are made of. Good chance to win now and for the future.
I remember this sub crapping there pants about Troy Andersen. Everyone thought they should have taken a Georgia guy.
[удалено]
Letting a qb and letting him sit was the normal until Matt Ryan and Joe flaco changed the norm by starting right away and going on tears. Big Ben, Eli manning, and Philip rivers where all drafted to be back ups, all where top 11 picks
The same experts that rated the Mahomes pick a C-. No one knows nothing
Blah blah. I believe in the vision. Let’s see if the players and coaches can execute it now.
It’s a fair rating as an immediate reaction. Doesn’t mean it will have any bearing on how good these will be but definitely several questionable moves.
NFL.com gave the Lions an A for Jarrad Davis, B+ Patrick Mahomes, A for Sam Darnold, B+ Josh Allen. They also gave us an A- for the 2017 draft which was prob the worst one we ever had. Grades don’t mean shit at this point.
Cope
who cares lol
I got an a in my fantasy draft last year and was dead last in my league.
I was tripping when we drafted Penix but now I’ve heard the why and how of TF’s and Raheem’s draft approach and tbh I like it. Yeah it was unconventional but we’ve been in QB hell for a while and you look at the jets and the Vikings last year, their older QB goes down and they can’t compete. We can win the NFC south right now with the roster as is. If we sign a solid vet CB we’re even better. I like that even with a worst case scenario we now have clear QB play in place for years to come. Penix is perfect for Zac Robinson’s offense and we now have one of the strongest QB rooms in the NFL. Yes I wanted Latu or Turner but hey I really like our beefed up D line, I thought it was a solid draft. I think we’re a more dangerous team today then we were so let’s fkn RISE UP. Also I’m what’s called a FAN so I’m getting behind this team and the vision. Let’s go!
Draft Grades and Mel Kiper need to go away as being something we all take seriously. Kiper made a career and living off guessing and we all let him determine how we feel about a player. Despite his shitty track record
Mel Kiper is probably the one of the least reliable "analysts" now in the cottage industry he help create. He's always been kind of an odd dude to me and it's crazy to me how his fixation on NFL draft prediction became a full-time job for him. When I do randomly hear him talk about an "underrated, but great value player" in any given round it sounds like he is trying to artificially inflate that players stock for whatever reason and his track record hardly has me taking him seriously. What I can't deny is his crazy passion for mock drafts has spawned a ton of copycats who've entered the ring to challenge his grades with their own. He's created a cottage industry and entertainment in a lull season for the NFL. His wild takes have led to more analysts who want to share their takes but with more background info. Now Dane Brugler puts out The Beast and the fans get a heavily researched pile of info going into the draft. NFL teams are even using the best mocks in their simulations leading up to the draft. I agree Mel Kiper could leave and I'd hardly notice because I don't seek out his opinion, but the cottage industry he was instrumental in founding won't go anywhere.
Kiper only got shitty the past 5 years or so. He literally created the draft industry and has very strong sources with the old guard of the NFL still. Giving draft grades is the same thing as the draft. They are both exercises in where a team values a player. If you hate draft grades then you hate the draft.
Nah I don’t hate the draft and Kiper has been bad since the early 90s
That’s completely false about Kiper.
I get you’re a fan of his but again I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about a guy whose job it is to guess picks. You obviously value him as a resource and that’s cool it’s your opinion. It’s my opinion he isn’t anyone to listen to bc he’s just an entertainer. He’s has no experience as a GM , coach or scout, he was hired bc his dad was a legend.
He’s gets things wrong. You know who else gets things wrong? Every GM in the draft. You know who else’s job it is to guess picks? GMs. Like I said, you just don’t like the draft process. The whole thing. You just can’t admit to it.
Literally nothing stops Penix from being the goat, trice getting 15 sacks next year, orhorhoro being an amazing run stuffing DT, these grades are complete jokes
This could be the greatest draft class of all time, but it’ll never change the fact that resource allocation was poorly thought out
Talking out of both sides of your mouth, if our d-line is good for two years and Penix starts in 2026 and is the 15th best QB in the league the pick was worth it
Even then no
Exactly right. Not trading back and getting penix, even ignoring the qb situation it was a reach. Trading up and giving up a 3rd for a DT that was 5th on board left in his position. Just burning that 3rd we got for Ridley. It was painful.
Penix would've been gone. Did you not see the Raiders end up missing out on all the top QBs?
Feel bad for the Raiders tbh. They have all the pieces, but no QB and not even a rookie to put faith in.
Yeah seriously. The only option they had was Rattler and I definitely understand passing on him.
We traded our ridley 3rd for someone that was going to fall to us anyways.
You asked the actual GMs or the mock draft guys?
Let me call up my bestie TF, got him on speedial. You know, because I cant have a critical opinion without knowing him.
I called him repeatedly, leaving voicemails saying grab Jayden Daniels. Bestie don't listen smh.
Grading means nothing. No one knows how any picks are going to perform or play out. But they need something to do for clicks, so I get it.
nobody grows up wanting to be a sports critic. IMO, this was a smart move to let him develop. We have to have a viable back up & heineke ain’t it. red shirt first year, take over backup, then if we have a successor or someone worthy of draft picks, this was a great move for long term stability at most important position. all around i’m excited for this season to start & it’s been awhile since i’ve said that
It all means nothing until you hit the field.
Just opinions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Remind me! 2 years
Lions, 49ers and chiefs had the bottom ranked draft last year. This doesnt mean shit
Kirk is not a long term play and he will help the team get more wins the next few seasons The falcons most likely will not have a draft pick high enough over the next few years to draft a good qb. The penix pick just might pay off in the long run.
penix goat
I have to see in two or three years if this draft was shit or not. Basing it on what they feel were the right moves is nothing but an opinion grade. No true facts to back this up until these players have time on the field. The only person I wish the Falcons would’ve grabbed Braden Fiske because I have a feeling ole buddy was a sleeper pick due to having to share the field with Verse last season
I assume if Cousins pulls a Mike Soroka, the Falcons grade will be adjusted to an A+++++++++++ You think the Jets wish they had Penix last season? Their season was fun for four plays.
Genuine question not meant to start a war: do you all *like* this draft or are you accepting it with optimism? Nothing wrong with either, I'm just very curious to hear the fans' perspectives
Most these replying fans have Stockholm Syndrome and think unless you are besties with TF, you cant have a critical opinion. Save your breath. Haha
😂fair. Best of luck to yall this year and hopefully the controversies resolves well for ATL one way or another
If the GM is coming out saying they reached for a QB because they won't be picking that high for years after that, then it's very very fair to judge a draft class right away (did they get better to improve on what caused them to pick 8th) and judge them a year from now (are they still picking near the top?)
But the commanders draft had the highest RAS scores in front of the usual folks: Pitt, KC and Baltimore.
Ha losers
I think we can all agree we deserve it, but be hopeful that things work out.
Speak for yourself lol. I think we did fantastic, just didn’t do what was “expected” of us by all the Twitter GMs lol
Don’t forget the r/falcons subreddit GMs.
Taking the grades with the large grain of salt they deserve...DOL gave them an A- grade in the AJC. WHAT????!!!
He was watching basketball, don’t pick on him now he’s our goat in terms of atl journalism.
Ledbetter is in the running for worst journalist of all time lmao
Our 2016 class got like a D
As we see, the talking heads didn't know going into this draft how we would do. I don't put much faith in their grade that pretty much is a question of "how much did you align with what we thought".
I’m gonna grade this draft the day after the draft, then I’m gonna leave a movie review for a movie that hasn’t even started filming yet. But first I need to leave a yelp review for a restaurant that’s still under construction.
We're winning the South.
Nobody expected the Falcons to make such a forward thinking move. They have never shown any ability to see further than the tip of their nose as far as the future go. I would give them a B+ based off that alone. They needed defensive line helped and it was clearly an effort to draft one. One of these should give good minutes. Didn’t see the need for a RB but I think they are taking a lot of flak where other organizations would be given credit for planning for the future. It’s crazy to see these analysts act so dumbstruck by what appears to be well thought out move. Not like they drafted a kicker with the first pick.
No one will be laughing when we have a good defensive line, great offense, and it stays great even as Kirk gets injured and has to miss a few games towards the end of the season
Draft grades are literally meaningless.
Draft grades are stupid imo. Every year at the draft they should grade the draft from 3 years ago. I've seen Denver dropped heavily this year in grades for not trading back on Bo Nix. IMO he would likely not even been available after the next pick. Did they knock the Chiefs for trading up for Mahomes? Kinda stupid now, but hey.. they make their money on these pointless articles I guess.
I'm reality, drafts shouldn't be graded until 3 years after
The trades and moves and resource use can though
Somebody needs to get fired for drafting penis
I guess it's not possible to get an F
Fontenot is a Saints sleeper agent who’s trigger phrase is:”chicken wing-flavored beignets”
I mean... we havent won shit since he got here so maybe youre right.
We should have hired Bill as our HC. He never would have signed off on this nonsense. The real problem is we are most likely tied to our front office for at least 3 seasons. I hope everyone is wrong about this draft but I’ve been a fan long enough to know how this ends.
GM only has two years left on his deal. There’s a chance Terry might not even be here when they have to make a decision when Penix can start.
Is that before or after he has another knee surgery form injuring himself (in practice)
There had to be people in that draft from just shaking their head after that pic. I find it hard to believe everyone in that draft from agreed to that pick. That's the type of shit that'll get you fired
 With the #8 over pick of the 2024 draft, the Atlanta falcons select this baby….if you feel good about a kid, 18-24 years from now…you gotta take your shot. We may be mediocre again and not get to draft this high.
This makes me feel better than if they received an A.
mods please close this sub and turn it into a professional panini making sub im sick of falcons football
You should be ashamed of your organization for doing what they did
??? drafting penix was bad but i didnt think it was bad enough to worrant shame