He’s awesome. And he’ll be here every week.

Take it away, sir.

Quick links: Tech picks a DC | Hawks fall just short | UGA hoops tops LSU

CONTRASTING DRAFTS

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

I’m in the finishing stages of a column that should go up later today about the Falcons comparing the four drafts of general manager Terry Fontenot with those of the two teams playing Sunday in the Super Bowl.

You might say that that’s not a reasonable comparison — the Eagles and Chiefs are two of the top franchises in the NFL and the Falcons are not. In a way, it’s probably not, but that’s sort of the point.

If the Falcons ever want to be in the same echelon as Kansas City and Philadelphia — or even the next tier below — for a number of reasons they need to draft much better than they have.

I used the 2022 draft as a jumping-off point.

The Falcons did score with No. 8 pick Drake London, a clear star. Running back Tyler Allgeier is among the top No. 2 running backs in the league. After that, you’ve got a potential starter in edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, a would-be starter in Troy Andersen if he could stay healthy and that’s really it. (That was the Desmond Ridder draft.)

The Chiefs got an All-Pro cornerback in Trent McDuffie, a productive edge rusher in George Karlaftis (24½ career sacks) and two more effective pieces in safety Bryan Cook and linebacker Leo Chenal, who’ve started a combined 62 regular-season games.

Their three seventh-round picks are all still with the team and are contributors.

The Eagles acquired run-stuffing defensive tackle Jordan Davis from Georgia in the first round, Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens in the second, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean (rated the No. 13 LB in the NFL this season by Pro Football Focus) in the third and another 2024 starter, tight end Grant Calcaterra, in the sixth.

This season, the Falcons’ 2022 picks still on the roster combined for 23 starts and 2,237 offensive or defensive snaps.

📈 Eagles: 61 starts, 3,080 snaps.

📈 Chiefs: 82 starts, 4,792 snaps.

And, it is worth pointing out, the Eagles and Chiefs’ 2022 picks were trying to break into the lineups of two of the NFL’s premier teams, while the Falcons’ picks were assuredly not.

There’s far more than the 2022 draft to explain why the Eagles and Chiefs are in the Super Bowl and the Falcons are not, but it’s undoubtedly part of it.

I hope you’ll read the column when it comes up online later today.

DREAM TEAM?

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

I had intended to attend the Dream’s news conference Tuesday to introduce free agent signees Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, but a certain Falcons quarterback’s admission that he was actually injured when his performance fell off a cliff compelled a change of plans.

I intend to get to the column, hopefully next week, and I’ll share with you some of a phone interview I did that day with ESPN analyst and proud Atlantan LaChina Robinson in anticipation of writing the column that day.

I asked her about the hubbub caused by the Griner signing and offered that, to me, the newsiness of it wasn’t just that a face of the WNBA was leaving the team she’d played for her entire career (the Phoenix Mercury), but more that she was signing with a team that has often seemed like an afterthought both in the league and in Atlanta. She agreed.

“The Dream hasn’t been known as a free-agency destination historically, right?” she said. “They’ve made some good moves, but franchise-transformational moves is a different category. And so I think that was probably what people were most surprised by, not that Brittney was leaving but where she was going.”

She went on to say that the signing “speaks volumes” about the roster that general manager Dan Padover has assembled and how the team was able to sell the franchise to Griner, as well as Jones and Walker-Kimbrough, two accomplished players in their own right. One thing I’m interested to see this summer is if the Dream can gain more of a foothold in the marketplace. I am sure that there are a lot of sports fans in Atlanta who don’t care much about the Dream, and I wonder if/how that can change.

Obviously, the Griner signing could play a significant role in that, not only in terms of gaining attention and developing the fan base but by raising the Dream’s level of play.

📊 Tyler popping in here: In our poll grading recent acquisitions by Atlanta teams, Griner joining the Dream came in last, at just 6.9 out of 10 — though the outsize presence of “1” selections smells like there’s some nonsports-related hateration afoot.

Y’all ranked United’s Miguel Almiron signing the highest, at 8.7 out of 10. His new Five Stripes teammate, Emmanuel Latte Lath, scooted past our joke about the Falcons trading for Myles Garrett to land in second at 8.3.

SPRING AWAITS

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Hard to believe that spring training will be cranking up next week. Our excellent Braves beat writer, Justin Toscano, will be there for most of it, and Gabe Burns, Michael Cunningham and I will be there in spurts, too.

I’m looking forward to it, obviously, as there’s a lot of ground to cover — the impending returns of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider (as well as Austin Riley), the potential for a bounce-back season for Matt Olson, the back end of the pitching rotation, signee Jurickson Profar and so on.

This will be my second spring training. I forget how this happened, but I hope I don’t end up with an electric rental car again like I did last year. I flew in and out of Tampa, which is about an hour and a half from the Braves’ spring training home in North Port. It was my first time driving an EV, and so I was lost on what you do to recharge it. (Unfortunately, CoolToday Park did not have a charging station, which would have made my life a lot easier.)

I ended up finding a charger at a playground and leaving it there overnight. I caught much flak from Justin, who had to come pick me up after I dropped it off.

Probably deservedly so.

(For reasons I don’t fully comprehend, I actually got another EV rental car this past fall to cover a game, and I came far closer to calamity that time. If you want to hear it, email me, and if enough people respond I’ll share that story next week. Thank you for reading!)

QUICK NOTES

🏀 We’re still awaiting word on any Hawks trade action before today’s 3 p.m. deadline. Stay tuned to AJC.com/sports for trade deadline coverage and reactions from Lauren Williams and Michael Cunningham.

🐝 Georgia Tech football appears poised to hire Texas assistant Blake Gideon as its new defensive coordinator.

🏈 Neither UGA nor Tech announcing new additions to their recruiting classes Wednesday is a sign of the times.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Georgia forward RJ Godfrey garnered quite the reaction with his first-half dunk during the Bulldogs' much-needed win against unranked LSU on Wednesday night.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily.

Until next time.