DEION SANDERS ON MICHAEL PENIX JR. FALCONS DRAMA: 'THIS IS RIDICULOUS'
The show was holding pretty much to the script when Roger Goodell stepped to the center of the stage in Campus Martius Park on Thursday night holding the card containing the eighth pick in the NFL draft.
Quarterbacks went 1-2-3. As expected. For a league hell-bent on explosive offense, that set a certain tone. So, no biggie that a defensive player hadn't been selected as pick No. 8 came.
Then it happened. The Commissioner stunned the massive, record-breaking crowd of 275,000 gathered in the streets downtown in the Motor City – plus millions watching at home and draftniks from coast to coast.
Goodell announced that the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr., the strong-armed quarterback from Washington.
It was not a ruse. April Fools' Day came and went already. It was nobody’s draft-and-trade move. The Falcons’ pick of Penix was not only the biggest surprise of the first round, it represented the best-kept secret of the night.