The Atlanta Falcons are finally getting a fair look at their quarterback competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. But that still may not be enough to keep them out of the quarterback market next offseason.
Penix was cleared for full-team work on Aug. 22 after spending most of the offseason recovering from ACL surgery. He is now splitting first-team reps with Tagovailoa as Kevin Stefanski tries to determine his Week 1 starter.
One early 2027 NFL mock draft already has a much harsher prediction for both.
Falcons Predicted to Draft LaNorris Sellers at No. 7Draft Sharks’ Shane Hallam predicted the Falcons will select South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers with the No. 7 overall pick, arguing Atlanta’s current quarterback plan “likely won’t work out.”
Hallam used current Super Bowl betting odds to determine his draft order, so placing Atlanta seventh isn’t necessarily his prediction for where the Falcons will finish.
Still, the quarterback choice carries a pretty clear message.
“The Tua/Penix experiment likely won’t work out for new HC Kevin Stefanski. That could lead to drafting a new QB,” Hallam wrote.
This would yet again represent a dramatic shift for a Falcons franchise that has already spent heavily trying to solve quarterback since Matt Ryan’s departure.
Atlanta selected Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in 2024 despite signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal earlier that offseason. Penix eventually replaced Cousins, then entered 2025 as the unquestioned starter before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 11.
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa after his release from Miami this offseason at a league minimum, setting up another competition.
AtlantaFalcons.com’s Tori McElhaney noted on August 25 that the team’s latest unofficial depth chart lists Tagovailoa and Penix together as co-starters, with an “OR” separating them.
Hallam is already looking beyond both, however.
Sellers has appeared in 27 games over the last three seasons at South Carolina. He has completed 63.4% of his career passes for 5,057 yards, 33 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while adding 995 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
LaNorris Sellers Comes With Major Top-10 QuestionThe projection doesn’t come without a warning, though.
“Sellers certainly hasn’t proven himself to be a top-10 talent, but his athleticism, size and arm strength all point to upside if the situation is right,” Hallam wrote. “He could ascend like Anthony Richardson…but with actual starting college experience.”
Sellers’ 2025 season gave NFL teams plenty to sort through. After breaking out in 2024, his completion percentage fell from 65.6% to 60.8%, while his passing touchdowns dropped from 18 to 13. He finished with 2,437 passing yards, eight interceptions and another five rushing scores.
That makes his 2026 season especially important if he is going to climb into the range Hallam projects.
For Atlanta, though, the more concerning part is what selecting any quarterback seventh overall would mean.
Penix would still be under his rookie contract in 2027, while Tagovailoa arrived in Atlanta as a veteran reclamation project under a new coaching staff. Spending another top-10 pick on the position would amount to the Falcons admitting neither answer worked.
There is still an entire 2026 season to change that picture.
But after years of quarterback turnover, Atlanta potentially going back to the well again would be less than shocking.
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