Whether you are doing sprinklers or drip, there is still the issue of potential backflow. Why would you not want to do that for the part of the system you are converting? Different localities have different requirements but, where I live, I'm required by the water utility to have a backflow preventer for the piping that supplies my home, and a separate backflow preventer for my entire irrigation system (which is a mix of drip circuits and spray heads). And they have to pass an annual inspection.

If you are adding the drip irrigation by swapping a spray head to a drip head, the existing backflow preventer at the zone valve will provide the backflow protection you need.

@formulaross20 is correct, changing irrigation types does not change the backflow prevention requirements.

You have an AVB which is code in many states for backflow. If you were to go to a centralized backflow, a PVB or RPZ would typically be sufficient. Both options are more expensive than the AVB zone valve and this is why most installers use them when they can.

Stick with what you have or if you want to hide the valves, put in a PVB, and use an inline jar type valve.

What I used in my yard:

PVB:https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/pvb-assembly-fe765-100

Inline Valve: https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/irritrol-sprinkler-irrigation-valve-2500tf