Joel Klatt on Michael Penix Jr. pick: 'I pray this works out'

Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t what anyone expected and not necessarily what many wanted when it came to the No. 8 pick by the Atlanta Falcons. Still, now that he’s there, Joel Klatt just hopes that it goes as well as it possibly can for the players and for the franchise.

Klatt spoke about the pick of Penix in the 2024 NFL Draft during an episode of his show on Monday. For everyone’s concerns about the situation in The ATL, he is just praying that the best case scenario happens for Penix, for Kirk Cousins, and for the Falcons’ franchise

“That all being said? And I want everybody to make sure that you clip what I’m about to say right here to anything that I’ve just said – I pray this works out for everybody involved,” said Klatt.

“I don’t want it to work out poorly for Atlanta. I’d love to see Atlanta win,” Klatt said. “I’d love to see Kirk Cousins get a legitimate shot to go and prove that he can win on the top level. I’ve loved Michael Penix for a long time. My heart hurts for Michael Penix. Now he’s shoved to the sideline and put into a position where it’s going to be hard to succeed. I want all of these guys to succeed.”

The quarterback room for the Falcons is now, if nothing else, inopportune. Cousins is one of the more professional players in the sport. Meanwhile, Penix is coming in as a rookie for his first opportunity in the NFL. That doesn’t make it any less problematic, though, with both being in the same position group.

Cousins, even off a torn Achilles, will be the expected starter for Atlanta. That’s already so off his career and as a veteran. It’s then especially so considering the Falcons invested a four-year, $180 million deal for him this offseason. At that point, Penix is off the field as a backup somewhere on the depth chart. That would leave some to further wonder why he’d be their selection in the Top-10. Or, if he does play, that then brings Cousins’ and his contract into question.

There’s no getting around the facts of the matter in regards to the Falcons’ quarterback rotation now. There’s more than one way that it could be problematic, whether this season or in the future. However, it’s the circumstances they’re all in now and Klatt just wants to see all of them, including the team, make the most of it on the field, regardless of how poorly some, including himself, thinks it could go.

“I pray that, in 10 years, Michael Penix is the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, this all worked out swimmingly, and everybody has a Super Bowl ring. I’m hoping that that’s what works,” said Klatt. “We’ll see if it does. I have my doubts.”