With the 2024 NFL Draft just about two months away, that means we've officially arrived at mock draft season. Scouts, analysts, and amateur draft prognosticators take their best stab at what may happen during the final weekend of April, and naturally, football fans eat all of that up. So today, I'll be taking a look at the consensus mock draft conducted by the beat writers of The Athletic, evaluating some of the big moves made at quarterback among three teams — the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots — who are picking in the top eight of the NFL Draft.

1st Overall Pick, Bears select Caleb Williams 

Within The Athletic's mock draft, Bears beat writer Adam Jahns astutely points out that Poles was the director of college scouting with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 when they selected Mahomes. This is potentially noteworthy given the fact that many scouts, coaches and players alike have made the comparison between USC's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and the reigning two-time Super Bowl MVP. If Chicago were to draft Williams and he were to become the next Patrick Mahomes, it would be an answer to the prayers of Bears fans who have been waiting for decades for a superstar quarterback to don the Navy and Orange.

Of course, the other option would be trading the #1 overall pick for the second consecutive year — likely for the largest haul of assets since the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker — and run it back with Justin Fields, who had a solid final two months of the 2023 NFL season. In January, immediately following a game in which Bears fans sent their QB1 off the field with “We Want Justin!” chants it seemed like a good enough possibility. Now, with the Draft Combine just days away, it's looking more and more likely that Poles and co. are ready to move on from the #11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and start over with a ready-made contender and a rookie quarterback.

Patriots trade 68th Overall Pick to Chicago for Justin Fields 

And the beneficiary of that break-up between Fields and the Bears could turn out to be the New England Patriots, who for the last four seasons without Tom Brady have had a taste of what life has been like for the Chicago Bears for half of a century. The Patriots have the 3rd overall pick in the NFL Draft, which means it's possible they'll be looking at either the #3 quarterback on their draft board, or possibly the best non-quarterback available. This isn't a bad spot to be in, but if New England isn't in love with either Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or J.J. McCarthy, they could opt to trade for Fields ahead of the draft, potentially solving their quarterback problem before April.

It's a worthwhile bet for the Patriots to make. In just two and a half seasons as the starter in Chicago, Fields has already made a rock-solid case for himself as one of the most prolific rushing quarterbacks in the league. That's not nothing. If New England can get him for a high 3rd round pick, that's a win, especially because, as The Athletic's Chad Graff points out, this allows the Patriots to “look at this like a two-year audition for Fields to show he's the franchise quarterback.” It also opens up the possibility that they can play around with the asset that is the #3 pick in the draft, and potentially get a whole bunch back for it if they were to trade it.

3rd Overall Pick traded from New England to Atlanta, Falcons select Jayden Daniels 

In this deal proposed by The Athletic's Josh Kendall, the Falcons, who have been linked to Justin Fields, would be pivoting to plan B after it was New England who acquired the fourth-year quarterback. That opens the door for Atlanta to swoop in and woo the Patriots with a massive offer — the 8th pick, the 43rd pick, and a tasty 2025 1st Round pick — in order to move up to #3 in order to select 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. If you're looking for high upside, Daniels has it, and my God what could that Falcons offense look like if Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts are every properly unleashed with someone as dynamic as Jayden Daniels at the helm?