Michael Penix Jr. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday night, the Atlanta Falcons delivered the surprise of the NFL Draft when they selected Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. The pick even came as a surprise to Kirk Cousins, who the Falcons just signed as their new starting quarterback a few weeks ago. But Penix had a message for Cousins shortly after the selection.

During his press conference following the NFL Draft on Thursday, Michael Penix Jr. made it clear that he is heading to Atlanta to learn from Kirk Cousins.

“He’s been in the league,” Penix said of Cousins according to ESPN. “He’s been in there for a while. He’s played a lot of football. I feel like I’m going to come in and I’m going to learn. I’m going to learn from him.”

Cousins just signed a four-year contract with the Falcons a few weeks ago and is expected to be the starting quarterback in Atlanta for the next several seasons. That means that Penix will likely have to wait several years before he will have a real chance to play for the Falcons, but it doesn’t sound like he is all that worried about that possibility.

[ESPN]