Reporters’ notebook: With the eighth pick in the NFL draft, Money Mike selects ...

The following, a weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find it informative, insightful and fun.

General manager Harris

Michael Harris II is as big of an Atlanta sports fan as they come. At Braves Fest, the player known as @MoneyyyMikeee on social media was asked who he would select with the Falcons’ No. 8 pick.

Some context: Asked this question last offseason, Harris, who also is a Georgia Bulldogs fan, said he’d take quarterback Stetson Bennett.

So, this time around, Harris began by saying: “This year it’s not Stetson, so …”

He paused.

“What are we, eighth?”

Yep.

“That’s why it’s so hard to be a GM,” he said.

Does he go offense or defense? It’s difficult, as everything is based upon what the team does in free agency or in trades. Do the Falcons bring in a quarterback?

So many questions.

“I would say … if I had to pick … trade up to get Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels,” Harris said.

Williams, USC’s quarterback, won the Heisman Trophy in 2022.

Daniels, LSU’s quarterback, took home the award last year.

A terrific turnout at Truist Park

The Braves should be one of the best teams in baseball (once again), and Braves Country is behind them.

The team estimated that 50,000 fans attended the Jan. 27 Braves Fest at Truist Park. This number is, of course, despite rain in the area during the day.

For context: 50,000 is more than Truist Park at capacity for a game night. It illustrates the excitement surrounding what might be the sport’s top roster. The Braves have World Series aspirations, and they’re currently the best professional sports team in Atlanta.

At Braves Fest, fans interacted with players and coaches, and participated in activities throughout the ballpark and The Battery Atlanta.

Sturdivant the proud papa

Ahead of the 2023-24 Georgia Tech season, it was assumed that veteran Kyle Sturdivant would be running the Yellow Jackets’ offense from the point guard position.

But it didn’t take long for first-year coach Damon Stoudamire to hand the reins over to unknown freshman Nait George, a 6-foot-3 Canadian who has become a godsend for Tech through 21 games. George’s layup with seven seconds remaining Tuesday helped lift Tech to an upset of No. 3 North Carolina at McCamish Pavilion.

Sturdivant, meanwhile, has remained the consummate teammate in helping nurture and guide the young George through the rigors of an ACC schedule. On Tuesday, Sturdivant took some of the credit for the tremendous growth and increasing stardom of George.

“I told (George) it’s like watching my son grow up,” Sturdivant said. “I don’t got no kids, but it’s like watching my son grow up right in front of my eyes. If you’ve ever seen the Lion King, it’s like when Mustafa is holding up Simba.”

Sturdivant, who has come off the bench in all 21 of Tech’s games this season, led the Jackets with 18 points in Tuesday’s win over UNC. And recently he and George have been on the floor together in forming a dynamic duo that has now combined for 154 assists this season.

It should also be noted that before George’s game-winner Tuesday, it was a Sturdivant 3-pointer that had given Tech a 72-69 lead. The former Norcross star then watched his young pupil make one of the biggest shots of Tech’s season thus far.

“I’m proud of him,” Sturdivant added. “I taught him that (shot), by the way. He always uses my left-hand finishes.”

Robinson’s rookie season compared with similar backs

Because of speed, size and shiftiness, running back Bijan Robinson was compared with some of the NFL’s greatest hybrid running backs before the 2023 NFL draft.

The 5-11, 215-pounder, selected eighth overall by the Falcons, reminded many of Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson and Saquon Barkley. And here’s a breakdown of Robinson’s rookie stats compared with the three Hall of Famers and one of the top backs currently in the league.

Robinson – 272 touches, 1,463 yards, eight touchdowns, 5.38 yards per touch.

Sanders (5-8, 203 … No. 3 overall in 1989) – 304 touches, 1,752 yards, 14 touchdowns, 5.76 yards per touch.

Faulk (5-11, 211 … No. 2 overall in 1994) – 366 touches, 1,804 yards, 12 touchdowns, 4.93 yards per touch.

Tomlinson (5-10, 215 … No. 5 overall in 2001) – 398 touches, 2,028 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.10 yards per touch.

Barkley (6-0, 232 … No. 2 overall in 2018) – 352 touches, 1,603 yards, 15 touchdowns, 4.55 yards per touch.

So, what does all of this mean? Just looking at the stats, Robinson wasn’t used as nearly as much as the other four players – especially with 17 games to choose from. Looking beyond the stats, one would surmise that the others didn’t have as many offensive alternatives as Robinson had with the Falcons and that the first two (and likely the third) played in run-first offenses.

Regardless of all that, someone once said that numbers don’t lie.

Fun times at Senior Bowl

- One of the more entertaining 1-on-1 reps during Senior Bowl week came Wednesday with some Georgia-on-Georgia action. Former Bulldogs receiver Ladd McConkey cooked his old teammate Javon Bullard on a route, getting comfortable separation over the middle of the field. Former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton missed the open throw, but McConkey was the clear winner, as he was most of the week.

- During the Senior Bowl media availabilities, players are commonly asked which teams have showed the most interest in them. Some answer directly, some feel they aren’t supposed to share such information. Former Georgia running back Daijun Edwards fell in the latter category when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked him about the specific teams that have talked with him.

“I don’t know if I can really talk about that,” Edwards said, laughing. On the interview process, he added: “It’s been a cool experience. Kind of a scary experience, but you’re just talking with them.”

Ultimately, which teams have talked with which players might mean nothing. The Senior Bowl has a speed-dating setup, too, in which players can briefly chat with multiple teams. But fans nonetheless enjoy hearing about players in which their favorite franchise has shown interest.