It’s February, which means we are just about one month away from Selection Sunday. While we are collectively waiting for March Madness to start, we are also looking toward the WNBA Draft after the tournament concludes.
Hopefully.
While there has been no CBA agreement signed yet, we are operating under the assumption that there will be a WNBA season, as well as a WNBA Draft.
With that being said, our team of mock drafters, Michael Waterloo and Melissa Triebwasser, are back with an updated big board. Throughout the offseason, they’ll be updating their big boards as they evaluate players in college (and beyond) and look at the way that teams are taking shape.
Once the CBA is agreed to and free agency opens, we’ll have a better idea of team needs as we complete another mock draft ahead of the season.
Let us know what your big board looks like, too, on social media.
Without further ado, let’s get to the big boards and some questions for our panelists.
| Pick Number | Melissa | Michael |
| 1 | Azzi Fudd, UConn | Awa Fam, Valencia |
| 2 | Awa Fam, Valencia | Olivia Miles, TCU |
| 3 | Olivia Miles, TCU | Azzi Fudd, UConn |
| 4 | Lauren Betts, UCLA | Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina |
| 5 | Flau’jae Johnson, LSU | Lauren Betts, UCLA |
| 6 | Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina | Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA |
| 7 | Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA | Madina Okot, South Carolina |
| 8 | Kiki Rice, UCLA | Nell Angloma, Lattes Montpellier |
| 9 | Madina Okot, South Carolina | Fla’jae Johnson, LSU |
| 10 | Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA | Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA |
| 11 | Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss | Yarden Garzon, Maryland |
| 12 | Janiah Barker, Tennessee | Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss |
| 13 | Yarden Garzon, Maryland | Kiki Rice, UCLA |
| 14 | Raven Johnson, South Carolina | Raven Johnson, South Carolina |
| 15 | Nell Angloma, Lattes Montpellier | Janiah Barker, Tennessee |
| 16 | Marta Suárez, TCU | Iyana Martín, Perfumerias Avenida |
| 17 | Iyana Martín, Perfumerias Avenida | Serah Williams, UConn |
| 18 | Maggie Doogan, Richmond | Marta Suárez, TCU |
| 19 | Tonie Morgan, Kentucky | Maggie Doogan, Richmond |
| 20 | Serah Williams, UConn | Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma |
| 21 | Ashlon Jackson, Duke | Charllisse
Leger-Walker, UCLA |
| 22 | Raegan Beers, Oklahoma | Shay Ciezki, Indiana |
| 23 | Rori Harmon, Texas | Ashlon Jackson, Duke |
| 24 | Shay Ciezki, Indiana | Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State |
| 25 | Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor | Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee |
Who is your biggest riser?
Melissa:
Gianna Kneepkens is a player that I looked at as a borderline first round pick when we did our initial Mock Draft, but to me, she is now a sure-fire top ten player on our big board.
I made the mistake a lot of fans make with shooters, and looked at her as just a three point merchant. But as I have watched her more this year, I have come to appreciate her so much as a playmaker, too. She is able to get to the rim, finish in traffic, and set her teammates up for early scores. Watching her play with high-level players has really showcased her all-around offensive game.
Defensively, she’s more than adequate, getting her hands in passing lanes and able to hold her own against other high-level guards.
Michael:
I’ve had a few players who have risen since this initial exercise. Ta’Niya Latson moved into the top four, for example. But the biggest riser has been Raven Johnson, who wasn’t in my top 15 before. Now, she sits at No. 14 on my big board.
For a long time, her reputation as a defensive stopper – highlighted by her play against Caitlin Clark in 2023 – carried her. While she’s still a tenacious defender, it’s her offense that has carried her to being a first-round pick.
Her surface-level numbers won’t blow you away, but when you’re on a Dawn Staley team, you’re playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. Her per 40 scoring comes in at 14.1 points per game, and her 129.9 offensive rating is not only the highest mark of her career, but it comes in at the 99th percentile in all of college basketball.
Johnson has taken a step forward in her all-around game. She’s now a lockdown defender whose defensive traits will translate well to the WNBA, but also someone who is able to contribute offensively, making it easier to keep her on the floor as a 13-minute rotational player.
Whose stock has taken the biggest hit?
Melissa:
Iyana Martin has dropped out of what would be my “first round”, not because she hasn’t continued to play at a high level, but because the level of play we have seen across college basketball has been so high.
Her scoring production has fallen off slightly, but her assists and rebounds have stayed relatively consistent throughout her FIBA season. I do think her efficiency is going to be a question at her position; Martin is shooting under 43 percent from the field and under 37 percent from three, and has been a little more turnover-prone than you would like to see from a point guard. I think her size and relative inconsistency could see her drop a bit in pre-draft evaluations.
Michael:
The players whose stock dropped the most for me is Ashlon Jackson. I really thought that she’d be a late first-round pick with my initial mock, but she hasn’t taken that next step forward in her senior year that I expected.
Her defense has dipped a bit, though she has picked up during conference play. What’s more, her three-point shooting has taken a hit. She’s still a threat from outside, but as a high-volume point shooter looking to be a three-and-D player at the next level, having her percentage from beyond the arc drop by four percent isn’t what you want to see for her development.
Despite falling to the late second round, I’m still a believer in Jackson. If there is a combine, she’s a player whose value can rise thanks to her versatile skillset. It’s just less likely to result in her landing in the first round now, is all.
Which player has the highest floor and ceiling?
Melissa:
To me, Azzi Fudd is the highest floor player in the draft, and it’s not close. She’s a proven commodity on the biggest stage available to her and has consistently performed at the highest level when the lights are brightest. She’s as close to a sure-fire thing that’s available in this draft. That being said, she’s pretty close to a fully formed product at this point; you know what you’re going to get, but I don’t know that execs expect there to be a “leap” she can take at the next level. Of course, she doesn’t need to take a big step forward to be a great pro, either.
Meanwhile, Awa Fam probably has a higher ceiling with her athleticism and still has a raw aspect to her game. But to me, she’s not a guarantee when it comes to her transition to the W. I think it will take a couple of seasons for her to really blossom, though I have little doubt that she will.
Michael:
Awa Fam or Azzi Fudd? That’s the decision here – though don’t sleep on Madina Okot. Ultimately, I’m going with Fudd.
She’s a generational talent, and while that term is thrown around way too often, in this case, it’s true.
“Then why do you have her third in your power rankings?”
It’s a fair question. And the answer, dear inquisitive reader, is injury concern.
That’s it.
Fudd has had two ACL tears, an MCL tear, and a meniscus injury already. That’s a lot for a young guard to deal with.
Remember what an elite prospect and player Jackie Gemelos was? She tore her ACL five times.
Five times.
We already know the likelihood of ACL injuries among women athletes is much higher than it is for men. But if you can guarantee me that Fudd will stay healthy, she’s the No. 1 player on my board with a ceiling that is similar to that of one of my favorite “Mean Girls” quotes.
The limit does not exist.
Which player has bust potential
Melissa:
This is going to be controversial, but hear me out: bust to me means a high pick that doesn’t quickly become a contributor, and that’s why I am going with Lauren Betts. Betts to me is the hardest player to quantify in this class; she’s incredibly talented and dominating at the collegiate level, but there are questions about whether there is a place for a “traditional” center in the modern WNBA.
To me, it will all come down to who drafts Betts. In the right system, with the right roster construction around her, she can absolutely carve out a role and be an impactful player. But the expectations are going to be as loud as the conversation around her has been this season, and that’s a lot of pressure to put on a person. I am personally hoping she proves people wrong.
Michael:
I’ll go with Janiah Barker here. From just a pure basketball perspective, Barker is a top-10 talent. But we’ve seen the inconsistencies in her game appear night in and night out.
She can be the top player on the floor or a non-factor shooting in the 20-percent range from the field.
If you’re not a consistent contributor each night in the WNBA, it’s going to be hard to find playing time.
Who just missed
Melissa:
I have been really impressed with Grace Sullivan this season and how she is truly carrying Northwestern while showing out in the biggest games. I think her skillset translates well to the next level, and there will be a team that falls in love with her creativity and myriad of moves around the basket and out to the mid-range. I might be a little biased because we had such a great conversation with her on The Next Woman Up, but I can for sure see her getting a training camp invite and would not at all be surprised to hear her name called in the second or third round.
Michael:
We initially planned for this to be a 20-player big board, but there was just too much talent to cut it off there. Even leaving it at 25 players, there were a lot of players we left off.
If we extended this to 26 players, my 26th player would be Rori Harmon. She is a fantastic leader and the heart and soul of the Texas team. I spoke to Jordan Lee and head coach Vic Schaefer about Harmon, and they both spoke about her future as a coach after she’s done playing.
She makes all the right reads and is capable of running an offense. But the only concern that I have is her size. At 5’6, she’d be undersized and attacked from Day 1. It’s not impossible to succeed at that size – look at Jordin Canada or Dana Evans, for example – but it makes it a lot harder.
Harmon should be a second-round pick. There are just so many talented players that I feel better about their games translating at the next level.
