The Atlanta Falcons were the talk of the 2024 NFL Draft.
With the No. 8 overall pick, the club selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. -- a player projected to be picked much later due to concerns about his injury history and age. Not only that, but the pick came one month after Atlanta handed out $100 million guaranteed to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins -- who wasn't too pleased on Thursday.
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Raheem Morris, who was hired as head coach in January, made an interesting comparison after coverage across the league was focused on his team.
"I hate for it to be like the story of the draft," Morris said of the pick. "I know it will be. That's just how our world is based and is driven, but I can't say it's annoying. No. Because it's what people want to see; it's piqued more interest. What's [Travis] Kelce's girlfriend's name? I feel like her right now. I'm Taylor Swift and [Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot] is Kelce, I guess."
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Swift and Kelce obviously became the talk of the NFL this past season when their relationship took off. They carried that momentum all the way to the Super Bowl, where the Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight title.
Morris and Fontenot enter next season with the same goal -- just with more focus on the winning and less focus on receiving attention. But if this weekend's draft is any indication, people are going to be talking about this duo's decision for a long time to come.
