Caleb Wilson hasn’t gotten to go through the NBA Draft combine yet, but there’s already a lot of buzz that he could be drafted top three overall. What wasn’t expected, however, is Yahoo Sports projecting that he could go higher than that. In their latest mock draft, they have Wilson being picked second overall by the Atlanta Hawks.
For the
better part of what we will call the NCAA/NBA basketball season, it was largely projected that Wilson would be drafted as the fourth overall pick. But there were moments throughout the 2025-26 UNC season when fans had to start wondering if he could climb even higher. He is one of the better athletes in the draft, has a really high ceiling, and most importantly, he could become one of the better players on a NBA team right now. It is hard to say that about Darryn Peterson, for instance, but it’s understandable to see AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson as interchangeable. But this is the first time Wilson has been projected as a top-two pick to our knowledge, which means this draft could get really interesting for the Georgia native.
Here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor had to say about the All-American:
“Front office executives around the NBA increasingly believe Wilson could be the second player taken in June’s draft. While his exact spot won’t be clear until after the Draft Lottery, once each pick is determined, some teams value the high-flying North Carolina freshman above the more ground-bound Cam Boozer from Duke. Others view Wilson as having similarly high upside as Kansas guard Darryn Peterson with dramatically lower downsides due to Peterson’s availability concerns.“
It is interesting that O’Connor stated that some teams would value Wilson’s aerial abilities over Boozer’s gravity-shackled game, but it is also not surprising. Objectively speaking, it would make more sense for some teams to take Boozer over Wilson, but there are some NBA teams that do not have a guy that is wired quite like Wilson. Where he is actually drafted will likely depend on what team has one of the top 2-3 picks, but hearing that front office executives are increasingly confident that Wilson can be the second player off the board is huge.
What do you think of Yahoo’s projection? Do you think Wilson could go #2 overall? Do you think there’s a possibility he can go #1 overall? Let us know in the comments below.
