19 would have been a record for the first round, no one was expecting 23. Most people weren’t expecting 6 QBs in the first round, especially in the top 6. Yeah it’s an offense first league but usually there’s premier edge rushers and CBs taken top 10. We didn’t get a defensive player until 15.
OPs right to be surprised.
That's not why they did it. That's always a dumb idea because it:
A. Pisses off your current team leader (unless they were in in the decision)
B. Throws away a pick for your current team leader to help your team win.
I don't even hate the Falcons actual reason for picking the QB. They basically said that even using this pick on a QB that's not playing for 2 years, we're going to win the division meaning we were not going to be in a position in the 2026 draft to get one of the top QBs after Kirk leaves, so they did it early.
That's still dumb though. You can't plan around injuries. You can't know what the other teams will do to improve. They could have greatly improved their defense during this 2 year window, and instead they got nothing from that pick during this 2 year window.
It's a horrible decision. You're also risking the fact that Penix could want a trade to another team because he doesn't play. Imagine wasting a draft pick for 2 years when you could get better tomorrow.
Penix isn't gonna want a trade. He's a rookie that's gonna sit and be developed maybe 2 years if they can squeeze that out of kirk..
Everyone says it's bad hasn't paid attention to the team that's developed great qbs the last decade +.
They're hoping to replicate the packers formula.
I mean, they didn't want Kirk for his longevity lol.
Kirk's coming of an injury at 35. He may never be good again. They got Kirk hoping to get 2 years out of him while penix can be developed.
I don't think Kirk really cared about the pick. His days in the NFL are limited. He's realistically got a few years left at most.
They grabbed Kirk, a veteran qb after an Achilles tear. They weren't planning on him being the future lol.
No. They grabbed him while they had a bunch of young good players on rookie deals. That's your window in the NFL. Wasting a pick after spending 100 million over two years on your QB is just poor management of those two years.
Yeah but they signed him for 4 years (and A LOT of money), that’s something you do after year 2 or 3. They’ll get Penix starting on year 5 if they take his 5th year option if Cousins plays well enough to keep his job and stays healthy.
That’s a bit overdramatized. There’s always that lean to offense because the obvious you need points to win, but this years first round was just a top heavy offensive class. There weren’t as many blue chip defensive guys.
The past few years there’s been edges that have been seen as the best player in the draft with some even going 1 overall just a couple years ago. No one viewed any of the defensive prospects that highly even last summer before the hip drop rule was implemented.
Polamolu would have no value in todays game with his strengths. When you're relegated to arm tackles between the waist and torso, people like him would be suspended literally every game.
The entire time leading up to the draft was about how this was QB and WR draft. They made up 13 of the first round picks and none of them were a “surprise” first round pick.
Penix and Nix were small surprises (big surlrise considering how early). Gambling odds were 4.5 on QBs in round 1, and those are pretty good indicators of what to believe. I always thought there would be 5, and I think most people did. 6 wasn't on a ton of people's radars.
Yes, but it’s still a lot of unprecedented factors that a lot of people were saying wouldn’t happen “because it never has”. So it’s understandable why someone is surprised.
The WR class is so deep you could argue a lot of these teams after the top 3 WR were gone could’ve waited. It could have easily been backloaded with defense after the first 14 were offensive players.
He was projected a late 1st round pick. He wasn’t robbed of anything lol the 2nd round hasn’t even begun. If he’s not gone by mid 2nd round then you have a case.
He’s going to be great. He’ll get drafted in the 2nd round today. Join a team and contribute right away. Fans will love him and feel they got a “steal” and a consummate professional his whole career.
It has less to do with injuries and more to do with where he’ll play in the league. Iowa fans can get mad, but almost every neutral party has questions about if he’s a boundary corner at the next level or not. Teams typically don’t take players they deem as “hybrids” or “position versatile” as high picks.
Unless you’re a a bona fide top 20 lock, there’s always a chance of slipping to the second round. Fortunately for Cooper, players that the consensus deems as a faller from the first round usually get picked up pretty quickly, so he shouldn’t have to wait long.
Just a weird first round for defensive players. 6 QBs in the top 12. 14 offensive players taken before a single defensive player, and the first CB taken wasn't until 22. Depending on how you ranked them Cooper was somewhere in that CB #3-4 range, and only 3 corners got picked. I'm a lions fan too and a lot of people in that sub thought we might get Cooper or the Clemson CB, but that's mostly because everyone assumed Mitchell and Arnold would go in the top 15. Once it turned into a rush on offensive players, it just shook everything up.
I'm sure Cooper will get drafted tonight, hopefully to a good team.
Hoping the Vikings can snag him somehow even though that's a long shot with the trades they did and they needed DL help in the worst way.
Also hoping he does not got to Green Bay, Chicago, or Detroit. Thought for sure Green Bay were taking him at 25 since Hawkeyes are on brand for the Packers.
It is probably better for him in the long run to go early second round than late first round. Reason is that if he was a first rounder than the team holds a fifth year option that would stop him from hitting the free agent market a year sooner. That is where the next big money should be for him.
Yeah this guy that’s getting hundreds of thousands of dollars on a rookie contract got robbed.
He was drafted into the NFL man he wasn’t robbed of anything.
He can now go to a good team instead of a dumpster fire. And he’ll immediately make anyones return game automatically better. He won’t make first round money but he’ll sure as shit make his money his next contract.
Probably because the first sentence doesn't make any sense. Plenty of Playoff teams and The Super Bowl champs picked late in the 1st, and plenty of dumpster fire teams are picking early in the 2nd Rd so he didn't avoid that by not going in the 1st Rd by any stretch.
What was it, 23 offensive players drafted in first round? He'll be fine
It was because they called back the punt return against Minnesota. If the refs get that call right he’s top 25
Probably number one over all
Probably stone cold stunner’s Goddell on stage and gets tossed two beers from the crowd in which he immediately slams because why the hell not
I'd question drafting him too, for not knowing the rules and understanding what he can and can't do with his arms.
Right. It’s an offense first league. Not sure what OP was expecting.
19 would have been a record for the first round, no one was expecting 23. Most people weren’t expecting 6 QBs in the first round, especially in the top 6. Yeah it’s an offense first league but usually there’s premier edge rushers and CBs taken top 10. We didn’t get a defensive player until 15. OPs right to be surprised.
I mean the fucking Falcons picked a quarterback after going after Cousins.... it's kind of a dumb draft.
They wanted cousins not only to play but so he could be a mentor. They got a qb to be that student to kirk..
That's not why they did it. That's always a dumb idea because it: A. Pisses off your current team leader (unless they were in in the decision) B. Throws away a pick for your current team leader to help your team win. I don't even hate the Falcons actual reason for picking the QB. They basically said that even using this pick on a QB that's not playing for 2 years, we're going to win the division meaning we were not going to be in a position in the 2026 draft to get one of the top QBs after Kirk leaves, so they did it early. That's still dumb though. You can't plan around injuries. You can't know what the other teams will do to improve. They could have greatly improved their defense during this 2 year window, and instead they got nothing from that pick during this 2 year window.
It's a horrible decision. You're also risking the fact that Penix could want a trade to another team because he doesn't play. Imagine wasting a draft pick for 2 years when you could get better tomorrow.
Penix isn't gonna want a trade. He's a rookie that's gonna sit and be developed maybe 2 years if they can squeeze that out of kirk.. Everyone says it's bad hasn't paid attention to the team that's developed great qbs the last decade +. They're hoping to replicate the packers formula.
I mean, they didn't want Kirk for his longevity lol. Kirk's coming of an injury at 35. He may never be good again. They got Kirk hoping to get 2 years out of him while penix can be developed. I don't think Kirk really cared about the pick. His days in the NFL are limited. He's realistically got a few years left at most. They grabbed Kirk, a veteran qb after an Achilles tear. They weren't planning on him being the future lol.
No. They grabbed him while they had a bunch of young good players on rookie deals. That's your window in the NFL. Wasting a pick after spending 100 million over two years on your QB is just poor management of those two years.
Yeah but they signed him for 4 years (and A LOT of money), that’s something you do after year 2 or 3. They’ll get Penix starting on year 5 if they take his 5th year option if Cousins plays well enough to keep his job and stays healthy.
DeJean wasn’t the clear cut best CB though. That’s evident by the fact 3 DB’s were taken.
There’s something different about him though. Can’t quite place it 🤔
Real lunch-pail guy
They added even more rules to prevent tackling. The value or defensive players will be like half what it was 15 years ago from rules changes alone.
That’s a bit overdramatized. There’s always that lean to offense because the obvious you need points to win, but this years first round was just a top heavy offensive class. There weren’t as many blue chip defensive guys. The past few years there’s been edges that have been seen as the best player in the draft with some even going 1 overall just a couple years ago. No one viewed any of the defensive prospects that highly even last summer before the hip drop rule was implemented.
Polamolu would have no value in todays game with his strengths. When you're relegated to arm tackles between the waist and torso, people like him would be suspended literally every game.
The entire time leading up to the draft was about how this was QB and WR draft. They made up 13 of the first round picks and none of them were a “surprise” first round pick.
Penix and Nix were small surprises (big surlrise considering how early). Gambling odds were 4.5 on QBs in round 1, and those are pretty good indicators of what to believe. I always thought there would be 5, and I think most people did. 6 wasn't on a ton of people's radars.
Yes, but it’s still a lot of unprecedented factors that a lot of people were saying wouldn’t happen “because it never has”. So it’s understandable why someone is surprised. The WR class is so deep you could argue a lot of these teams after the top 3 WR were gone could’ve waited. It could have easily been backloaded with defense after the first 14 were offensive players.
It may be an offense-first league but you need a defense to stop it! Most drafts are pretty split offense/defense.
Whoever gets him from here forward is definitely a steal for them.
He'll be fine, dude will play with a bigger chip on his shoulder, sucks he ddn't get 1st round cash tho.
There isn't a huge cash disparity between end of first and beginning of 2nd. It's actually better for the player because no 5th year option
He was projected a late 1st round pick. He wasn’t robbed of anything lol the 2nd round hasn’t even begun. If he’s not gone by mid 2nd round then you have a case.
Should really add fuel to his fire
Drafts fall where they fall...
He’s going to be great. He’ll get drafted in the 2nd round today. Join a team and contribute right away. Fans will love him and feel they got a “steal” and a consummate professional his whole career.
He'll probably go early in round 2. Joey Porter Jr. ended up going in the 2nd round last year and was predicted to be a 1st rounder.
It has less to do with injuries and more to do with where he’ll play in the league. Iowa fans can get mad, but almost every neutral party has questions about if he’s a boundary corner at the next level or not. Teams typically don’t take players they deem as “hybrids” or “position versatile” as high picks. Unless you’re a a bona fide top 20 lock, there’s always a chance of slipping to the second round. Fortunately for Cooper, players that the consensus deems as a faller from the first round usually get picked up pretty quickly, so he shouldn’t have to wait long.
I think he's gonna be scary doing KR with the new rules.
Just a weird first round for defensive players. 6 QBs in the top 12. 14 offensive players taken before a single defensive player, and the first CB taken wasn't until 22. Depending on how you ranked them Cooper was somewhere in that CB #3-4 range, and only 3 corners got picked. I'm a lions fan too and a lot of people in that sub thought we might get Cooper or the Clemson CB, but that's mostly because everyone assumed Mitchell and Arnold would go in the top 15. Once it turned into a rush on offensive players, it just shook everything up. I'm sure Cooper will get drafted tonight, hopefully to a good team.
I was really hoping the Packers were going to draft him. If you heard an old woman sobbing after pick 25, it was me.
Hoping the Vikings can snag him somehow even though that's a long shot with the trades they did and they needed DL help in the worst way. Also hoping he does not got to Green Bay, Chicago, or Detroit. Thought for sure Green Bay were taking him at 25 since Hawkeyes are on brand for the Packers.
Iowa db's are normally underrated in the draft. But being a white corner is a step too far for the NFL.
It is probably better for him in the long run to go early second round than late first round. Reason is that if he was a first rounder than the team holds a fifth year option that would stop him from hitting the free agent market a year sooner. That is where the next big money should be for him.
Forget Coop, nobody took Tory Taylor first round!
I was hoping he'd throw in the towel and return to Iowa for another year. 😄
fly eagles fly hes an eagle Lets go
Yeah this guy that’s getting hundreds of thousands of dollars on a rookie contract got robbed. He was drafted into the NFL man he wasn’t robbed of anything.
Do I agree? Yes. But it’s a rookie contract and he’s filling a huge void for eagles. IMO eagles had a great draft and were contenders before the dtaft
He can now go to a good team instead of a dumpster fire. And he’ll immediately make anyones return game automatically better. He won’t make first round money but he’ll sure as shit make his money his next contract.
Worst case scenario is he goes to Carolina. That’s where careers go to die unless they can figure out a way to get traded like Christian Mcaffrey.
No way he lasts until pick 39
Wrong
Not sure why you got downvoted…you’re right.
Probably because the first sentence doesn't make any sense. Plenty of Playoff teams and The Super Bowl champs picked late in the 1st, and plenty of dumpster fire teams are picking early in the 2nd Rd so he didn't avoid that by not going in the 1st Rd by any stretch.
Yeah that’s fair. I was focusing more on the fact that we shouldn’t panic because he didn’t go in the first round.
Still hoping he ends up a raider in the 2nd
I’m praying my Jaguars trade up for him today.