Pool Cover recommendation

You want the cover to be touching the water in the pool. Then, rainwater will keep the cover weighted down. If it's tight and hanging, it will probably rip from the wind. When I had an AGP, I had a cover pump to keep the water on top under control. There would also be leaves and debris collecting on top as well. I would use an old skimmer net and pole to remove that.

You could also get a mesh leaf cover to put on top of the winter cover. That, I believe, would be tight and "hang" above the winter cover to keep leaves off of the winter cover.

You should also think about getting a skimmer faceplate that has a "tupperware lid" seal that will allow you to NOT have to drain any water from the pool when winterizing.

As @SecoSteve said, if you plan on using a cover then it should not hang from the walls. You want a cover large enough to go over the sides and sit on the water. Pools are made to hold the pool walls from pushing out, not have the walls pull in.

After 20 years of AG pool ownership, I finally found a way to make opening the pool somewhat easy. I use a sump pump to drain water, I usually do it a few times during the winter when it's warm enough for the water to be liquid. I fill the pool in the spring with the cover on to the proper level so that the cover slides off easily. I use a leaf rake to scoop the debris (there's a lot) off the cover with the sump pump on the cover. I use a hose to push the debris toward the sump pump. I alternate using the hose, using the leaf rake and then the sump pump as all the debris gets pushed to one place. After a few pf these cycles the water on top of the cover is usually clean enough and whatever little bit falls in is not too bad. I used to use a skimmer but I now use a leaf rake especially since i bought one with a lifetime warranty no questions asked so if it gets destroyed hopefully I'll get another one free of charge.

But something to think about - why not just leave it open all year long. Being in Atlanta how cold does it get? Maybe you can keep the water going, add liquid chlorine over the winter and not worry about it. Since I live in NJ, I don't know how cold it gets by you.