You may have heard that the Falcons' draft was a disaster. You may have heard that no one thought they'd take Michael Penix 8th overall, especially the quarterback they just gave one-hundred million dollars to. You may have heard the GM's explanation, which didn't really help anyone's case, and you may have seen the that twitter video of him try to explain the decision to owner Arthur Blank.
But what if I told you that, well, actually, the Falcons' draft was good. In fact, what if I told you that it wasn't just good, but elite. Like, one of the best drafts of any team in football? Because according to one single tweet that references one single set of numbers, that's actually the case.
Falcons had an elite draft class this year according to NFL Draft analytics
Today, redemption is spelled K-E-V-I-N C-O-L-E. Cole, who's spent time as a data scientist for Pro Football Focus, is currently writing his own substack about NFL Data. In his study, he found that the Falcons actually had the 5th best draft class of any team in football. The only teams that did better had the first, second, and third overall picks. Also the Cowboys?:
The only 100% correct 2024 NFL Draft grades (rankings) pic.twitter.com/WZGEoa2eCk
— Kevin Cole (@KevinCole___) April 30, 2024
The entire explanation around Cole's study can be found right here, and it's definitely worth your time. It's a quick read, and does a good job explaining some of the more ... curious ... points that this graphic is making. Or, you can just ignore it entirely and go gloat about how the Falcons actually know exactly what they're doing and are probably well on their way to a Super Bowl. The choice is yours.