UNC Freshman Surprisingly Ends up a Top Five Pick in Latest Mock Draft

North Carolina basketball will look very different next season. Dominant center Armando Bacot, experienced sharpshooter Cormac Ryan, and athletic forward Harrison Ingram will no longer be in Chapel Hill for the 2024-25 season. The Tar Heels relied on a solid recruiting class and the transfer portal to replace these players.

Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin came through the transfer portal and will have a large role in Hubert Davis' rotation next season. What will determine the success of North Carolina next year, however, will be the two incoming freshmen wings. Ian Jackson and Drake Powell are the two biggest recruits for the Tar Heels as both young men were top-ten in their class.

In fact, Powell's stock is rising even before he set foot on the court for North Carolina. In the latest mock draft by Jonathan Wasserman of the Bleacher Report, the UNC freshman is projected to be a top-five pick. Highlighting his versatility and all-around play, Wasserman thinks the 6'6 shooting guard will be able to start for the Tar Heels with his two-way ability and build his draft stock.

"Head coach Hubert Davis will be able to slide Powell into multiple positions and roles. He's extremely well-rounded and is capable of making plays on and off the ball with his pull-up, passing, improved catch-and-shoot game and athleticism."

- Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report

This is rather surprising. Powell certainly has an intriguing NBA skillset but he was never projected to go as high as five in any previous mock draft. He was behind Ian Jackson and other shooting guard prospects like Tre Johnson and Jalil Bethea in his class. Edging all of them out to be the first prospect to be selected behind star freshmen like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe is huge for Powell.

Whether Powell will be able to maintain his draft stock remains to be seen but it's clear that a lot of NBA eyes will be on him.

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