Sports Daily: A frightening Falcons thought

In the meantime? Here’s columnist Ken Sugiura, with his latest Thursday newsletter takeover.

Have at it, sir. And try not to scare anyone too much.

Quick links: Heat 131, Hawks 109 | Fried speaks | Starks to meet with Falcons | Tech spring practice looms

SURELY NOT …

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

The Falcons did something that I found a little puzzling at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week. (Imagine that.) Our intrepid Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter reported that the team only brought defensive coaches, with plans to use all 45 interview slots on defensive players.

It is a reaction to the draft being strong on the defensive side and also the team’s desperate need for defensive help.

“This draft is loaded defensively,” general manager Terry Fontenot said to the assembled masses in Indianapolis. “When I say best player available for us, we’re talking about not reaching for needs.”

It is undeniably true that the Falcons have holes to fill on the defense. It’s in no small part because they’ve spent their first-round pick in each of the past four drafts on offensive players and then failed to draft an impactful defensive starter with any of their other selections in Fontenot’s four drafts.

👀 UGA’s Mykel Williams ready to show off; Jalon Walker looks to cement status

👀 Tech’s Zeek Biggers boasts big man speed; Kennard, Ivey among top pass rushers

So in that respect, maybe it’s best that Fontenot go all in on defense in preparing for the draft. It would seem he could use all the help that’s available to him.

But, on the other hand, the draft is a process where teams are generally trying to be as tight-lipped and even deceptive as possible. And while it would behoove the Falcons to go heavy on defense, to seemingly removing all doubt of their intentions seems, at the least, counterintuitive. What the Falcons are doing is a little like playing poker with your cards face up.

Unless — perish the thought — this is actually the smoke screen and the plan is to go offense again with the first-round pick, a most elaborate ruse.

They couldn’t … right?

(To be clear, I don’t think so. But just something to keep Falcons fans awake at night.)

📅 TV coverage of combine workouts starts at 3 p.m. today on NFL Network. Here’s the full schedule.

📅 Defensive backs and tight ends — including Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Tech’s Jackson Hawes — will speak to reporters too.

PRAISING TRAE

Credit: Marta Lavandier/AP

Credit: Marta Lavandier/AP

I wrote something that went online Tuesday about Hawks star guard Trae Young after a game in which he dominated and led the Hawks to a win over Miami despite scoring only 11 points. Young’s biggest contribution in the 98-86 win was his 14 assists. (He was not at his best Wednesday night, however, when the Hawks lost to the Heat in Miami.)

A telling statistic regarding his impact on the first game: The Hawks outscored the Heat by 26 points while he was on the floor — even though he failed to make a 3-pointer for just the fourth time this season — but were outscored by 14 when he was off.

In the column, I quoted an NBA scout who hasn’t always been high on Young but whose tune has changed this season. He particularly commended the way that Young has elevated the team around him.

“He’s showing that ability, so I think it’s been a positive leap for him in terms of becoming an actual leader this year,” the scout said.

🎁 A little bonus for you: I also tried reaching out to another scout in hopes that I’d hear at least from one. I was able to talk with the one and then spoke with the second after the story was completed. But I ended up talking with him anyway — this may turn into another column — and his view of Young backed up the first scout’s assessment.

“I think he’s gotten better every year; I don’t think anybody will dispute that,” he said. “I think he’s gotten better as a player, I think he’s gotten better as a leader, I think he’s gotten better all the way around. He was definitely All-Star-worthy; I don’t think an injury should have gotten him in. I thought he earned it the hard way.”

It was further evidence of how well Young is playing this year. You may remember that Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT panelist Shaquille O’Neal said Young had been snubbed when the All-Star reserves were announced and Young wasn’t among them.

Young has taken a step this season. You’d just like to see it not go to waste.

RETURNING THE FAVOR

This is unrelated, but I thought it worth sharing about Young. After the Monday night game against the Heat, team TV play-by-play man Bob Rathbun was in Young’s postgame news conference and asked Young about a block he had made on a 3-point try by Tyler Herro, just the 11th of the year for the 6-foot-1 guard.

It was a lighthearted question and the normal response is for the athlete to make some kind of braggadocious comment in jest. Young laughed at the question but then used the opportunity to congratulate Rathbun on being inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame over the weekend in Macon.

🗣️ Said Young: “That’s a big honor. I ain’t been able to tell you that in person, so congrats on that. Forget my block that I had that a lot of people like to forget that I do sometimes, but that was good too.”

On the magnanimity scale, it’s not like it was a 10. But it was a gracious gesture, and those are always worth pointing out.

QUICK HITS

📺 The Braves play the Nationals in Grapefruit League action tonight at 6:05 — and you can watch on Peachtree TV! Bryce Elder gets the start.

⚾ Speaking of pitchers … Braves youngster AJ Smith-Shawver hopes 2025 is his breakout year, while the recently departed Max Fried expects his return to Atlanta (either during the All-Star game or shortly after) to be “a little disorienting.”

🏈 Don’t forget, folks: Georgia Tech spring football practice starts Tuesday. Here’s the team’s latest roster.

🔊 Count Atlanta music producer Dallas Austin among the folks remixing FIFA’s 2026 World Cup theme song. Our fair city will host eight matches during the tournament, and the idea is to give the musical accompaniment a little local flair.

🏀 As the high school basketball playoffs rage on, check out the boys and girls teams from Holy Innocents’ — both of which are chasing state titles with the help of McDonald’s All-Americans.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

Former UGA lineman Mykel Williams is a potential top-10 NFL draft pick. He said Wednesday he was more injured than previously known during his last season in Athens.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact Tyler at tyler.estep@ajc.com.