The Atlanta Hawks shockingly came away with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft after the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully, the Hawks make a better selection with the picks than their in-state NFL counterparts, the Atlanta Falcons, did in their recent draft.
The Falcons famously surprised everyone in the 2024 NFL Draft with their first-round selection of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick.
While Penix Jr. could end up being a great quarterback, the pick was criticized heavily given the other needs on the team that certainly appear to be more pressing than at quarterback, where they had just agreed to a four-year $180 million contract with Kirk Cousins.
The pick was not only seemingly a disservice to Cousins, who was reportedly quite shocked and upset about the pick. But it is also a disservice to Penix as well. The Washington standout is already entering the NFL at 24 years of age. And as long as Cousins is in town, he likely won’t see the field until he is well into his upper 20s.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter poked fun at the Falcons’ pick of Penix once again on social media after the Hawks won the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday.
“Atlanta is not expected to take another quarterback,” Schefter joked on Twitter/X.
Atlanta is not expected to take another quarterback. https://t.co/jRrAO9mddc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2024
The city of Atlanta may be the butt-end of jokes from Schefter for the time being. But if the Hawks can bring in a true difference-maker alongside Trae Young in the upcoming NBA Draft, they could seemingly turn into a contender in the Eastern Conference in the next couple of years.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.