Mel Kiper is the Godfather of the mock draft world, so when he drops one, I pay attention to it.

Kiper released his latest mock draft over at ESPN on Wednesday, and this one caught my eye. I discussed it briefly in yesterday’s Around the NFL at Bleacher Nation, but I want to get a little bit deeper on this one here this morning. Specifically, it’s Bears implications.

By no surprise, Kiper has Caleb Williams going to the Bears at No. 1. Williams and the Bears have been linked since as recently as Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season, thanks to an awful start by the Bears in September. Things have ratcheted up to the point of a fan civil war on social media, which (thankfully) will come to an end soon, one way or another.

Kiper has the Commanders preferring Jayden Daniels to Drake Maye with the second overall selection and the Patriots taking Maye at No. 3. He also has Arizona selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4, so, again, not much in the way of surprise early.

But Kiper’s selections at five through 10 were very interesting.

5. Chargers: OT J.C. Latham — Alabama

6. Giants: WR Rome Odunze — Washington

7. Titans: OT Joe Alt — Notre Dame

8. Falcons: EDGE Dallas Turner — Alabama

9. Bears: WR Malik Nabers — LSU

10. Jets: TE Brock Bowers — Georgia

At first glance, Kiper’s latest mock is different because it has the Bears ending up with LSU’s Malik Nabers instead of Washington’s Rome Odunze at No. 9. I love what Odunze brings to the table. Still, Nabers is the second-best wide receiver in this class for me, behind Marvin Harrison Jr., so that would be a dream scenario.

That scenario was made possible by Kiper’s prediction that Jim Harbaugh would take an offensive lineman at No. 5, and not the one we all thought. Kiper has Harbaugh and the Chargers taking Alabama’s run-blocking specialist J.C. Latham, letting Alt slip to Tennessee at No. 7.

Without that wrinkle, this scenario probably doesn’t work out, which is why I’ll caution everyone not to get their hopes up, because I don’t see it playing out that way in April. If I had to guess today, Harbaugh and the Chargers will trade back.

But, the most important takeaway here, for me, is Kiper mocking Dallas Turner to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 and Atlanta solving their QB conundrum outside of the draft. Kiper has the Falcons throwing money at veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency to solve that problem.

However, I think that Cousins will stick around in Minnesota for another season or two, even if they draft a quarterback this year.

But, sticking with Kiper’s process, Atlanta doesn’t love the quarterbacks available at No. 8 to take one, so they solve that issue before the draft rolls around in two months. The Bears could help Atlanta solve that problem, and Justin Fields could be their fix.

Fields would be cheaper than Cousins (dollars and cents-wise) and come with more long-term upside than Cousins for Raheem Morris and his staff in Atlanta. Morris dodged the Fields line of interrogation with grace this week at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but there have been two reports out of Indianapolis — including one from NBC Sports’ Bears beat reporter Josh Schrock — that the Falcons have contacted the Bears regarding Fields’ availability.

The Fields to Atlanta connection has made sense for some time, and now it’s beginning to pick up steam. Ryan Poles said that if the Bears decide to trade Fields, he would like to do it soon out of respect for Fields. And while Poles won’t say this part out loud, it’s also out of the urgency to maximize the return for Fields, which would mean that a trade before the start of free agency is the likely route for Poles.

If the Falcons are looking to bring in a quarterback outside of the draft, they’ll want it done before free agency so they can plan (and spend) accordingly.

This is coming to a head, and Kiper’s latest mock is just another line of thinking that positions the Falcons as a perfect suitor for Fields.

More Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation

• Caleb Williams and the Bears met last night in Indianapolis.

More Chicago Sports at Bleacher Nation

Chicago Blackhawks

• If the door is open (even slightly) for a Patrick Kane return to Chicago, the Blackhawks should bust it open, writes Matt Rooney.

Chicago Bulls

• Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was asked about Lonzo Ball’s status on Tuesday, and his comments to the Sun-Times weren’t very encouraging:

Chicago Cubs

• Cody Bellinger met with the media on Wednesday in Mesa. If you missed it, Brett has you covered on the important details. If you didn’t miss it, check this out, because Brett’s commentary on the availability is worth the click:

What’s on deck?

• The Cubs will take on the Colorado Rockies at Sloan Park this afternoon. You can catch the action at 2:05 PM CT on Marquee.

• The Blackhawks take on the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center at 8:00 PM CT. ESPN will have the broadcast.