Why the Falcons shocked the world and drafted Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons have made a habit of doing things no other franchise has ever done before, often times to the detriment of logic and reason. Remember, this is, and forever will be, the franchise that blew a 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl.

In the proud tradition of breaking the internet with something not even the sportsbooks in Las Vegas could see coming, the Falcons drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick in this year’s NFL Draft, just weeks after paying quarterback Kirk Cousins a four-year contract worth $180 million.

Once you get over the initial shock, the biggest question to ask with this draft pick is “Why?”

Why did the Falcons essentially buck NFL Draft history and common assumption of positional value and franchise maintenance and upend everyone’s thinking about how this is supposed to look?

Well, we’re going to do our best to answer that.