The Falcons provided one of the draft’s largest surprises in the first round. Atlanta used the No. 8 selection on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a move which raised eyebrows given the team’s free agent investment in Kirk Cousins. That was not the only move the Falcons were prepared to make in the first round, however. 
Atlanta’s efforts to move up the top-10 order were, understandably, rejected. The way the QB board fell still allowed the team to add Penix as a long-term Cousins successor, though. Many had pointed to the Falcons as a candidate to make the draft’s first defensive addition with the eighth pick, but that still would have been a possibility with a trade to acquire another Day 1 selection.
On that note, a behind-the-scenes team video from the Jets shows that Atlanta was interested in trading for New York’s top pick (N0. 10 overall). The Jets turned down the Falcons’ interest, although they ultimately moved back one spot after trading places with the Vikings. Atlanta’s Penix selection has been criticized – including by Cousins himself, initially – for not providing immediate help to the team in 2024, something another first-rounder would have done.
In the aforementioned video, Jets general manager Joe Douglas makes it clear the Falcons wished to keep the eighth overall pick while adding No. 10. The latter selection would have come at a massive price, of course, and acquiring it likely would have required a package involving future Day 1 capital. Moving back into the top 10 would, on the other hand, have given Atlanta a free choice of the defensive prospects in the 2024 class.
While the Falcons could be speculatively connected to a number of players on that side of the ball, ESPN’s Matt Miller notes that a source pegged Atlanta’s considerations at No. 8 as Penix, Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner and Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy less than one week before the draft. Murphy went 16th overall to the Seahawks, while the Vikings traded up to select Turner one spot later.
After drafting Penix, Atlanta made four straight selections on the defensive side of the ball (including two D-linemen and one edge rusher). Those players will be counted on as rookies more than Penix – provided Cousins is healthy in 2024 – but the same would of course have been true of a prospect added at No. 10. This case is another which will profile as an interesting ‘what if’ scenario as the performances of the 2024 class play out over time.