Atlanta Falcons Draft Grade from Mel Kiper Jr. isn't Pretty

The Atlanta Falcons surprised a lot of people in the first round of the NFL Draft, and long-time analyst Mel Kiper Jr. came away confused.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons made headlines in March by signing Kirk Cousins, ESPN's No. 1 ranked free agent to fill a gaping hole at quarterback.

The Falcons gave him $90-million guaranteed over the next-two seasons. He turns 36 in August and is coming off of a season-ending Achilles injury.

It was a risky move, and one that is likely to cost them future draft picks for tampering in his pre-free agency recruitment. Regardless, the signing of Cousins ushered in a win-now window for the Falcons who are coming off six-consecutive losing seasons.

On Thursday night, the Falcons shocked everyone by immediately hedging their bets at quarterback by selecting Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington with the No. 8 overall pick.

Signing Kirk Cousins makes sense. Drafting Michael Penix makes sense. Signing a win-now 36-year old quarterback to $90 million guaranteed and using a top-10 pick on a quarterback with gaping holes all over the defense?

Not so much.

Mel Kiper Jr., the godfather of NFL Draft analysts, released his draft grades on ESPN+, and he gave the Falcons a 'C'. That's average, right?

Well, in a world where the media doesn't want to be too harsh on its NFL partner, the 'C' from Kiper was the only one given, and the lowest grade of all-32 teams.

"With the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins, this is a team built to win the NFC South now, but it had to draft significant contributors on the other side of the ball," wrote Kiper on ESPN+."

Kiper discussed the Falcons' ability to trade back, fill a hole at edge, or cornerback, and pick up more premium draft picks in the second or third round. Instead, they shocked everyone.

"Look, we can debate Michael Penix Jr.'s (8) talent all we want, but the Falcons had a chance to improve their defense with the best prospects still on the board and didn't take it. Instead, they chose a quarterback to sit behind a guy to whom they just gave $100 million guaranteed. I just don't get the logic here, and it's not like Penix is raw, either. He turns 24 in May and has played a ton of football. It was one of the most shocking picks I can remember in Round 1."

Kiper has been covering the NFL Draft for ESPN for 40 years. That this is one of the most shocking picks he can remember is a bold statement.

The Falcons then traded up to get Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round. He's a talented defensive lineman, but interior defensive line is arguably one of the deepest positions on the Falcons' squad.

Atlanta didn't address cornerback or safety in the draft. Those needs were ignored in free agency when Falcons elected to spend big on Cousins. They waited until the third round to address edge with Penix's Washington teammate Bralen Trice.

This was a draft for the future.

The Falcons got their long-term quarterback. They fortified the defensive line with Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus in the fourth round. Those are foundational pieces of building a team.

This Falcons' draft just makes the decision to drop $90-million on a 36-year old quarterback, and losing picks to do it, look like buyer's remorse.