Thanks to quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Atlanta Falcons 2024 draft class avoided the bottom of the barrel on a list of last year's NFL draft classes from CBS Sports.
It's hard to imagine an NFL team having a draft class make less of an impact than the 2024 class did for the Atlanta Falcons. But after one year, CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso didn't hate what the Falcons landed in the 2024 draft.
Put another way, he liked quarterback Michael Penix Jr. On a list ranking the 32 NFL Draft classes from 2024, Trapasso placed the Falcons at No. 25.
"Had Michael Penix Jr. started earlier in the season, I have a feeling he'd be widely considered a hit, although his wayward throws were at times drastically off target," Trapasso wrote. "The rest of the Falcons' 2024 class didn't amount to much at all."
Trapasso essentially placed each draft class from last year into tiers based on the number of draft "hits" each organization had. The Falcons were in the zero hits tier, but they were the top-ranked team in that tier.
That was likely because Penix appeared to be a hit in his small sample of games.
The teams ranked below the Falcons on Trapasso's list also with zero initial "hits" from the 2024 draft class were the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.
"Hitting" on draft picks, especially after just one season, is harder than most fans likely think. According to Trapasso's rankings, only 12 NFL teams had multiple "hits" in the 2024 class, and just seven organizations had three hits.
Trapasso appeared to be a hard draft grader because there were other rookies I considered hits for NFL teams that weren't on his list. But the point stands that selecting prospects in the NFL Draft is difficult, and it's even harder for prospects to make an impact during their first season.
Of course, that's putting a giant positive spin on the Falcons' 2024 rookie class. Hard grader or not, Atlanta's 2024 draft selections placing 25th isn't something to be celebrated too much. The class was so irrelevant for most of last fall that it was surprising Trapasso didn't rank it lower.
The Falcons heavily targeted defense on Day 2 and 3 of the draft last year. That was the right move after the shocking Penix selection. But those defensive picks made little to no impact in Year 1.
Atlanta must do a better job "hitting" on its 2025 selections to build a defense while Penix is on his rookie contract. It wouldn't hurt if one of their 2024 selections developed too.
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