The most college freshmen selected to start an NBA draft was in 2017. The first seven picks were players selected after one year of college. Picks one through seven in order were Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, De’Aaron Fox, Jonathan Isaac, and Lauri Markkanen.
While the 2025 NBA Draft is still months away, at least one writer is currently projecting a new record to occur when it comes to college freshmen starting off the draft.
Freshmen Taken With First 10 Picks In Sam Vecencie’s Mock Draft
Sam Vecenie’s Mock Draft Has College Freshmen Selected With The First 10 Picks
On Thursday, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic posted his most recent mock draft. The top of his mock draft is littered with college freshmen. As a matter of fact, each of his first 10 picks are freshmen in college. They are as follows:
- New Orleans Pelicans – Cooper Flagg (Duke)
- Washington Wizards – Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
- Toronto Raptors – Ace Bailey (Rutgers)
- Charlotte Hornets – Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)
- Utah Jazz – V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor)
- Portland Trail Blazers – Asa Newell (Georgia)
- Brooklyn Nets – Egor Demin (BYU)
- Sacramento Kings – Liam McNeely (Connecticut)
- Oklahoma City Thunder – Kon Knueppel (Duke)
- Detroit Pistons – Tre Johnson (Texas)
The top three of Flagg, Harper, and Bailey has mostly been the consensus to go with the first three picks. Despite Rutgers’ struggles (8-8 on season), the duo of Harper and Bailey have showcased the talents that NBA scouts love to see. While Flagg has struggled from deep, his three-point accuracy has risen substantially in recent games.
Vecenie’s mock draft has the first international player going 11th. That would be guard Ben Saraf, who plays for Ratiophalm Ulm in Germany. The first college non-freshman he has off the board is with the 19th pick by the Utah Jazz. With that selection, Vecenie has them taking guard Kam Jones out of Marquette.
As Vecenie notes, the team order is based on records through games played on January 5. He also states team needs are not taken into account as rosters will likely look different by draft day than they do now.
18 Freshmen In The First Round Altogether
The record for most college freshmen selected in the first round of the NBA draft is 16. It occurred in the aforementioned 2017 NBA Draft. Vecenie’s mock draft has the 2025 NBA Draft surpassing that mark. On top of the first 10 picks, he also has these freshmen going in the first round:
- 12. Houston Rockets – Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)
- 15. Indiana Pacers – Derik Queen (Maryland)
- 16. Oklahoma City Thunder – Labaron Philon (Alabama)
- 17. San Antonio Spurs – Thomas Sorber (Georgetown)
- 21. Atlanta Hawks – Jase Richardson (Michigan State)
- 22. Orlando Magic – Boogie Fland (Arkansas)
- 25. Brooklyn Nets – Khaman Maluach (Duke)
- 29. Los Angeles Clippers – Ian Jackson (North Carolina)
That is 18 college freshmen being selected with the 30 first round picks according to Vecenie’s mock draft. That would surpass the 2017 record by two. The 2025 NBA Draft is still more than five months away. A lot can still happen, and it’s no guarantee that all of these players enter, as the option to return to school is certainly still there. One can expect numerous players under the age of 20 to enter the league next season though, including some international players.
