Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll passed on three first-round quarterbacks with the No. 6 overall pick last April. Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos’ 12th overall pick, is about to finish as the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year. J.J. McCarthy, the Minnesota Vikings’ 10th overall pick, tore his knee before he could deliver on the promise of an encouraging training camp. And Michael Penix Jr., the Atlanta Falcons’ eighth overall pick, has been biding his time on the bench. Until now. Until Falcons coach Raheem Morris declared Penix Jr. Sunday’s starter and, in the process, added another possible nightmare chapter to this worst-case scenario season for Schoen, Daboll and the Giants (2-12). “He’s a talented, talented kid,” Drew Lock, the Giants’ projected starting quarterback for Sunday, said on Wednesday inside the Giants’ locker room. “Definitely can push the ball downfield like the best of them … Best of luck to him – just can’t say that this week.” No, Lock does not want Penix to go off in his first career NFL start. So imagine how Schoen and Daboll feel, with their jobs already deservedly in jeopardy if not already forfeit once this disaster season comes to an end. If Penix plays well and the Falcons (7-7) hand the Giants a record 10th straight loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it will shatter the argument that Schoen and Daboll never had a chance to draft their own quarterback to pieces. An argument that is already dead and on display for all to see as Sean Payton and Nix lead the Broncos to a playoff berth – while the Giants’ Week 1 starter, Daniel Jones, is on the Minnesota Vikings and Daboll runs the worst offense in the NFL (14.9 points per game). Schoen and Daboll chose wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall instead of taking a QB. Nabers has put up some impressive rookie receiving numbers but hasn’t made a difference to the teams’ bottom line. The LSU product, though, said he has a lot of respect for Penix, who led the University of Washington to the national championship game before losing to Michigan last season. “Gunslinger,” Nabers said. “Has a pretty deep ball. He’s going to give his guys chances on a lot of deep ball passes. He’s a great player.” The Falcons are a mess. They stink. That entire organization has a lot to answer for after passing over Bill Belichick in the last hiring cycle for Raheem Morris. But they still opened in Vegas as 10.5-point favorites over the Giants. And even after benching Kirk Cousins and giving Penix Jr. his first-ever NFL start, they’re still favored by 7.5 over New York. “He’s a very productive player,” Daboll said of Penix Jr., whom he scouted closely pre-draft last spring. “He could throw it in all three levels. Very accurate. Obviously had a lot of good players around him. But I thought he really gave those guys chances down the field. “Intermediate throws, threw the ball effortlessly,” the coach added. “Was athletic. I wouldn’t say they used him on a lot of runs, more of a drop-back, play-action guy. But fairly athletic enough to do a variety of things. Met with him, had a good meeting. Smart. Instinctive. I thought he had a pretty good pro day, I was at his pro day. So I thought he was a good prospect.” Lock, who used to play for the Seattle Seahawks close by the University of Washington, said Penix Jr. was a star in college and has earned this opportunity. “Being in Washington when he was up there doing his thing, being in Seattle — it was fun to go to those Dawgs games from what I heard,” Lock said. “There was a lot of buzz up there about him. He’s a great player. He deserved that buzz, and he’s getting his shot now.” Unfortunately for Schoen and Daboll, it’s coming against their Giants head-to-head. And if the Giants somehow magically produce a win to reinforce their passing on Penix Jr., that could still be a losing proposition because it may cost them next year’s No. 1 overall pick. GIANTS LIST 21 INJURED Five Giants players didn’t practice on Wednesday, 14 were listed as limited and two were full participants on a monstrous, 21-person injury report for Week 16. Edge rushers Brian Burns (ankle/neck) and Patrick Johnson (knee), linebacker Bobby Okereke (back), guard Aaron Stinnie (concussion) and corner Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) did not practice. The limited players included corners Deonte Banks (rib), Cor’Dale Flott (quad), Art Green (shoulder) and Dru Phillips (shoulder); wide receivers Malik Nabers (knee/foot) and Wan’Dale Robinson (shoulder); center John Michael Schmitz (ankle); quarterbacks Lock (heel/left elbow) and Tommy DeVito (concussion); defensive linemen Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck/shoulder) and Cory Durden (shoulder); running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle); safety Dane Belton (knee) and tight end Chris Manhertz (ankle). Linebacker Dyontae Johnson (ankle) and lineman Austin Schlottmann (fibula) were both full participants in their 21-day practice window to make a return from injured reserve.