2026 NBA Draft: CBS Sports unveils mock draft with big shakeup following March Madness

With the 2025-2026 College Basketball season finally over, that means it is officially NBA Mock Draft season.

Fresh off the NCAA Tournament, CBS Sports has released its latest Mock. The entirety of the top-10 in the Mock consists of college freshmen, led by BYU‘s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas‘ Darryn Peterson, and Duke‘s Cameron Boozer. The first non-freshman off the board here is sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance, who played in just five games for Kentucky this season. 29 of the projected 30 First Round picks also played college basketball this season.

The entirety of CBS Sports’ latest NBA Mock Draft is below.

1. Indiana Pacers: AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU

Following a historic freshman season at BYU, star forward AJ Dybantsa is projected to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Pacers. In his lone season in Provo, Dybantsa made an everlasting mark. Dybantsa scored the third-most points in a season by a freshman in NCAA history (894), led the country in scoring (25.5 points), and broke 19 program freshman season/single-game records. He was named a Consensus All-American, and earned First Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.

Dybantsa entered the season as the No. 1 ranked recruit in the country, and played like it all season long. He cemented his mark as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the Draft thanks to a strong end to the season, which saw him score 20-plus points in his final 14 games. This included a 40-point performance in the Cougars’ NCAA Tournament First Round loss to Texas. Indiana would be hitting big with the pick, as All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton is poised to return from his ruptured achilles next season.

2. Washington Wizards: Darryn Peterson, SG, Kansas

Although Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is projected to be selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the Draft by the Washington Wizards, he remains in the thick of the race to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Peterson struggled with cramping and on-and-off injuries during his lone season at Kansas, but looked like one of the best players in the sport when he was on the court. The Canton, OH native earned Second Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors, as he averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Peterson’s best game of the season came in Kansas‘ 104-00 OT victory over TCU on Jan. 6. In that win, Peterson scored 32 points (fourth most by a freshman in the Bill Self era) on 44.8% shooting from the field. The freshman totaled 12 20-plus point games, even hitting the mark in three of the Jayhawks’ four postseason games. This included a 28-point performance in Kansas‘ NCAA Tournament First Round victory over Cal Baptist.

3. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Boozer, PF, Duke

Duke freshman power forward Cameron Boozer is projected to be off the board at pick No. 3 to the Brooklyn Nets in CBS Sports’ NBA Mock Draft. Boozer etched his name in the program’s history books this season, becoming the 14th player in Duke history to be named National Player of the Year. Duke enjoyed back-to-back winners of the award, as Cooper Flagg was named NPOY last season.

Boozer willed the Blue Devils to a 35-3 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Duke advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to No. 2 seed UConn 73-72, marking a second consecutive heartbreaking end to the Tournament for the Blue Devils. In the loss, Boozer scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds. On the season, the Miami native averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. He recorded 22 double-doubles.

4. Sacramento Kings: Caleb Wilson, PF, North Carolina

Caleb Wilson had his lone season at North Carolina unfortunately cut short due to a broken thumb, but he is still projected to be selected with the No. 4 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings. In 24 games, Wilson averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. He was named a Consensus All-American, along with earning First Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Wilson was unable to compete in the NCAA Tournament, which led to the Tar Heels being knocked out of the First Round by No. 11 seed VCU.

At the time of Wilson’s unfortunate injury, he was surging as one of the best players in the sport. This was shown on full display during North Carolina‘s upset of rival No. 4 Duke on Feb. 7, in which he scored 23 points on 8-12 shooting from the field. His absence from the end of the season was pivotal in the program deciding to part ways with head coach Hubert Davis following a second consecutive loss in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

5. Utah Jazz: Keaton Wagler, PG, Illinois

Illinois freshman point guard Keaton Wagler entered the 2025-26 college basketball season as a three-star recruit, but will likely be selected within the top-five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Wagler exploded as one of the best freshmen in the country this season, averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for an Illini team that made a run to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. Wagler, who shot 39.7% from three-point range, has earned Stephen Curry comparisons throughout the season.

Wagler was named a Consensus All-American, along with earning First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. He was also named the recipient of the Jerry West Award, given to college basketball’s top shooting guard. His best moment of the season came in Illinois’ 88-82 road victory over No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 24, in which he scored 46 points.

6. Dallas Mavericks: Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas

Reigning SEC Player of the Year Arkansas point guard Darius Acuff Jr. seems poised to become John Calipari‘s 21st player selected within the top-10 in the NBA Draft. Acuff Jr. was so good for Arkansas this season that it created a conversation regarding whether or not he was the best point guard to ever play for Calipari. In 36 games, the Detroit native averaged 23.5 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. He became the first SEC player since Pete Maravich (1969-70) to lead the SEC in both scoring and assists.

Acuff Jr.’s signature moment in Fayetteville came during Arkansas‘ 117-115 2OT loss to No. 25 Alabama on Feb. 18, in a game that many considered to be one of the best of the year. The star guard scored 49 points 16-27 shooting from the field. Acuff Jr. also scored 30-plus points in three of Arkansas‘ six postseason games, including a 37-point performance in a SEC Tournament Quarterfinal win over Oklahoma and a 36-point performance in a NCAA Tournament Second Round win over High Point.

7. Memphis Grizzles: Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston

Houston point guard Kingston Flemings looks to make it two top-10 selections for the program in the past three NBA Drafts (Jarace Walker at No. 8 in 2023). Flemings, who was named First Team All-Big 12 and All-Big 12 Freshman Team, averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds for the Cougars this season. Houston compiled a 30-7 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 3 seed Illinois in the Sweet Sixteen.

Flemings was one of the most dominant freshman guards in the country this season. On the night where the aforementioned Darius Acuff Jr. scored 49 points against Alabama, Flemings scored a career-high 42 points in a 90-86 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech. Although both performances ended in a loss, it truly showed just how special the guard play was from the freshman class this season.

8. Atlanta Hawks: Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville

Louisville‘s Third Team All-ACC guard, Mikel Brown Jr., is projected to be selected with the No. 8 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks. If selected in the top-10, Brown Jr. will become Louisville‘s player to go in the top-10 since Samaki Walker in 1996. In 21 games this season, the Orlando native averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. Brown Jr. struggled with the injury bug this season, however, missing 14 of Louisville‘s 35 games.

When he was on the court, Brown Jr. was seemingly one of the best players in the ACC. His availability, however, prevented the Cardinals from returning to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. His best game of the season came in Louisville‘s dominant 118-77 win over Will Wade and NC State on Feb. 9, which saw him score a career-high 45 points.

9. Milwaukee Bucks: Nate Ament, PF, Tennessee

In his lone season in Knoxville, Tennessee power forward Nate Ament made an indelible mark on Volunteer fans. Ament became a massive fan-favorite, averaging 16.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for a Tennessee program that made a third consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight. He was named a Second Team All-SEC selection, along with being tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Ament appears to be on his way to being Rick Barnes‘ first top-10 NBA Draft selection since Tristan Thompson in 2011.

Ament contributed seven 20-plus point performances in SEC play this season, including scoring 29 points in wins over Oklahoma and No. 17 Alabama. He goes down as one of the best freshmen in Tennessee program history, and will certainly be one of the highest drafted in program history.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona

Arizona shooting guard Brayden Burries, who helped lead the Wildcats back to the Final Four for the first time since 2001, rounds out the top-10 of CBS Sports’ NBA Mock Draft. Burries emerged as one of the best players in the Big 12 in his lone season in Tucson, earning First Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 39 games, and scored in double-figures in all five of Arizona‘s NCAA Tournament games.

If Burries does get selected within the top-10, he will join Bennedict Mathurin as the lone Arizona guards to be selected within the top-10 of the NBA Draft in the past 20 years. He is one of three Wildcats projected to be taken in the First Round of the 2026 NBA Draft by CBS Sports (Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas).

Picks 11-30

11. Golden State Warriors: Jayden Quaintance, C, Kentucky
12. Portland Trail Blazers: Koa Peat, PF, Arizona
13. Miami Heat: Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama
14. Charlotte Hornets: Thomas Haugh, SF, Florida
15. Golden State Warriors: Chris Cenac Jr., PF, Houston
16. Memphis Grizzlies: Yaxel Lendeborg, PF, Michigan
17. Oklahoma City Thunder: Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa
18. Charlotte Hornets: Christian Anderson, PG, Texas Tech
19. San Antonio Spurs: Karim Lopez, PF, Mexico
20. Toronto Raptors: Hannes Steinbach, PF, Washington
21. Philadelphia 76ers: Morez Johnson Jr., C, Michigan
22. Detroit Pistons: Cameron Carr, SG, Baylor
23. Denver Nuggets: Aday Mara, C, Michigan
24. Atlanta Hawks: Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke
25. Los Angeles Lakers: Motiejus Krivas, C, Arizona
26. New York Knicks: Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas
27. Boston Celtics: Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina
28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah Evans, SG, Duke
29. Cleveland Cavaliers: Amari Allen, SF, Alabama
30. Dallas Mavericks: Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn