The first round of this year’s NFL draft has officially concluded.
Night one of this event was chaotic as expected, with several teams making trades and surprising picks throughout the evening.
One of the most unexpected selections happened with the No. 8 overall pick, as the Atlanta Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. in this spot.
Penix was a polarizing prospect heading into the draft.
Some people had him as a late first-rounder, potentially an early first-round selection.
The Falcons saw something in him, which is why they took him in the 8 spot.
While this was viewed as a controversial move at the time of their selection, it appears that there were several teams gunning for Penix on draft night.
James Palmer recently revealed on Twitter that the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders all attempted to trade into the top 10 for a shot at Penix.
This could have been a franchise-altering move for one of these teams, as they are all seemingly looking for a franchise quarterback to take over for their current option.
The Seahawks are slated to roll out Geno Smith for at least another year, but his future with the team is largely unknown.
As for the Saints, Derek Carr will still be their starter in 2024 based on his massive contract, but the team could be interested in building someone up behind him.
The Raiders also have question marks at the position, as Gardner Minshew will likely be the team’s Week 1 starter in 2024, pending a surprising turn of events.
It will be interesting to see if any of these teams go after a quarterback in night two of the draft, or if they’ll stick with what they have for now.
