8: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington - A+. Perfect situation to land for Penix.
Scheme fit potential - Check
Quality Vet Mentor - Check
NFL Ready Quality - Check
Offensive Personnel Quality - Elite
He landed in a dream situation. Atlanta also has the flexibility to wait till when he's ready which should be next year. I am expecting him to be a top 5 QB in 2025. Perfect landing. The biggest issue guys run into in year 2 is they now have to adjust to now running the real scheme fully and teams knowing their strengths and weaknesses. That's impossible to do when you have a full year of development plus sitting behind someone who's done it at a top 10-15 level in this league and does it the right way.
35: DT Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson - B. Great situation again. Compares with Oynemata's talent and potential but is raw. Development will be needed.
74: EDGE Bralen Trice, Washington - B+. Proven production. Fits a clear role as a backup EDGE and is NFL ready for the most part. Upside isn't much but in this scheme, we need productivity.
109: DT Brandon Dorlus, Oregon - A-. Like Trice, proven production but he has more talent and reminds me of Grady Jarrett. He does have work to do on move-set but his ability is obvious.
143: LB JD Betrand, Notre Dame - A. While I am not expecting an every-down starter in year 1, he should get plenty of reps and is special on special teams. He's someone who will eventually end up as a captain and he's what you call, a Freddie Freeman. A natural leader and an extension of the coach with whom establishes a culture. He's someone that will in 4 years, be using our history as Gritz Blitz as a model of what we are and our culture. He's just one of those ones. Probably my 3rd favorite pick in this draft.
186: RB Jase McClellan, Alabama - B+. The worst RB1 in the last 10 seasons at Bama but he's not bad. He's a quality runner. But he's not a good pass protection. Not a good receiver out the backfield, he's can catch and make plays but his route tree was limited. He is a clear ZBS RB and there is legit upside as a pro for him with his hands and his RB vision. For RB3, I can't say much bad. Just that, you can find UDFAs who can give you quality as a ZBS back. The Falcons must have seen some star in him to take him in the 6th.
187: WR Casey Washington, Illinois - A+. For our scheme and the open role that we do not have filled is the Z. Mooney is expected to play it but he's not that good at it. He should be an F to me and Moore is also in the running for F but both finished PFF in the 50s for overall grade. Washington has a similar skill set to Puka Nauca and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. In this scheme with Cousins, I expect him to get a lot of catches. This is the right scheme for him. I also expect Mooney to be much better with us as Fields wasn't a timing QB as Cousins is.
197: DT Zion Logue, Georgia, - C+. While I see the rotational value. I don't see it with Logue. He's a run stuffer. That's what he is and maybe that's his overall use is just for that singular role. While I get it, I don't love it. Even in the late rounds.
Overall - A grade. Penix Jr., Washington, and Betrand were my favorites and should have short and long-term value. Overall, excellent draft. Makes sense for the most part to me.
