WNBA Mock Drafts Summary

[psconn]

This is a summary of 1st round mock drafts from 6 sources. E and CW get "votes" starting at #9 but it's far from consensus for any particular spot. Personally, I see E slipping to the 2nd round and I'm a bit surprised Liv doesn't show up at all in the 1st. She should be a lock for the 2nd round. It's important to realize how hard it is to get, and hold a roster spot in the W. I hope they all achieve whatever level of success they want and are willing to put in the work for.

WNBA Draft 2022: Mock Draft Roundup #2 - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

There have been a few significant developments since we launched our first Mock Draft Roundup on March 27. So, we had to run it back one more time as we prepare for the 2022 WNBA Draft on April 11 (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) in New York City.

www.wnba.com

 

[psconn]

Sorry, forgot to add the link in the original post. Fixed now.

 

[BRS24]

Ok, so all the mock drafts I've seen have our players going anywhere from 1st to 3rd round to not drafted. Last year's draft was a bit crazy, and this year, the WNBA has only invited 12 players to attend. There are quite a few social media posts of the 12 around NYC over the last couple of days.

I keep thinking, how much confidence does the league have that these will be the players drafted either in the 1st round, or early 2nd? And also wondering how many players that weren't invited are going to be surprise pics. I just hope we don't have an Aaron Rogers situation tonight, as we've already seen a few "Sonny Weaver" moves over last 48 hrs.

I'd love to know how teams indicate who they might draft. Wondering if the WNBA asks each team for a list of 3-5, and they anonymously aggregate it to settle on who was invited? Hmmmm.

 

[Rb335]

My guess is that CW will go late in the first round, and our other two seniors go in the second round. I think CW has the highest potential/ceiling for the WNBA based off of her athleticism.

 

[psconn]

My guess is that CW will go late in the first round, and our other two seniors go in the second round. I think CW has the highest potential/ceiling for the WNBA based off of her athleticism.

I wouldn't be sad if she ended up with the Sun. The caveat being that she will have to be a legit contributor, not just a seat filler for UConn fans. Once their at this level I want our alums to do great, but I also only want the best possible roster on the Sun. If that is with a UConn player, great! If not, that's OK too. I love our Terps, Blue Devil, Bull, Tiger and Colonial etc. It's all about winning.

 

[Mike72fl]

Three things on this year’s draft:

1. I hope Atlanta doesn’t select Howard as their #1 pick, but select Smith instead. Howard is talented, but oftentimes lazy; she turned it on when she wanted to. Smith, on the other hand, played hard both ends of the floor; and she is as talented.

2. I hope a UConn player won’t be picked by CT Sun. For some reason, UConn players haven’t been developed well with the Sun.

3. Engstler will become a really good player in the WNBA, probably an all star someday.

 

[Carnac]

My guess is that CW will go late in the first round, and our other two seniors go in the second round. I think CW has the highest potential/ceiling for the WNBA based off of her athleticism.

If she does, she's all but guaranteed to make the cut. 1st round draft picks seldom get cut their rookie year. First round draft selection rights are too valuable to waste. All 12 WNBA clubs (general managers/coaches) understand the value of those picks and know they cannot afford to waste them on a player that is not a "can't miss." i.e., NaLyssa Smith (Baylor) Rhyne Howard (Kentucky). I agree with the general consensus that these two will be the first two players taken in tonight's draft.

CW can go anywhere from 8-20 depending on the needs of the various teams that have picks in that range, and their perceptions of her. Based on her career awards below, I'd say she distinguished herself quite well this year. I've got to believe winning the Ann Meyers Drysdale award this year as "the best" shooting guard in the country along with the other 3 awards this year didn't hurt. She finished
.454% from the field and .338% from beyond the arc and .685% from the line.

CAREER HONORS

• 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Shooting Guard of the Year
• 2022 NCAA Tournament Bridgeport All-Region
• 2022 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2022 All-BIG EAST First Team
• 2021 NCAA Tournament River Walk All-Region
• 2021 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
• 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team
• 2020 American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team
• 2020 American Athletic Conference First Team
• 2019 American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team
• 2019 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year
• 2019 American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team

 

[psconn]

Three things on this year’s draft:

1. I hope Atlanta doesn’t select Howard as their #1 pick, but select Smith instead. Howard is talented, but oftentimes lazy; she turned it on when she wanted to. Smith, on the other hand, played hard both ends of the floor; and she is as talented.

2. I hope a UConn player won’t be picked by CT Sun. For some reason, UConn players haven’t been developed well with the Sun.

3. Engstler will become a really good player in the WNBA, probably an all star someday.

Putting aside Tina's MVP as kinda ancient history, the more recent examples, Kelly, Morgan and KML all were very, to somewhat marginal players who found no greater success anywhere else. They simply were not consistently good enough. One problem the W has in general is that there are not enough roster spots to allow true development time. Not enough practice time either. It's game, travel, game ,travel....

I love all those guys as a UConn fan, but that's the reality.

 

[Aluminny69]

 

[JoePgh]

In one of the mock draft articles, I read that the Sun are so tight with salary cap space that they really can't afford to pay what even a late first-round pick would command, and that they will therefore either trade the pick or choose someone from abroad who will not be available to play in 2022.

I wonder if anyone can confirm or refute this assertion.

 

[psconn]

The Sun will be pretty much maxed out in the cap department. The had to run with 11 last year for awhile. That's what happens when you keep a core group together for many years. Alyssa Thomas, JJ, DeWanna, Jas Thomas, Courtney Williams all make large salaries and Bri Jones isn't far behind.

 

[Alydar]

Ok, so all the mock drafts I've seen have our players going anywhere from 1st to 3rd round to not drafted. Last year's draft was a bit crazy, and this year, the WNBA has only invited 12 players to attend. There are quite a few social media posts of the 12 around NYC over the last couple of days.

I keep thinking, how much confidence does the league have that these will be the players drafted either in the 1st round, or early 2nd? And also wondering how many players that weren't invited are going to be surprise pics. I just hope we don't have an Aaron Rogers situation tonight, as we've already seen a few "Sonny Weaver" moves over last 48 hrs.

I'd love to know how teams indicate who they might draft. Wondering if the WNBA asks each team for a list of 3-5, and they anonymously aggregate it to settle on who was invited? Hmmmm.

I believe that most of the picks have already been made for the 1st round. The way they finagled trades to get Collier to Dallas is a smoking gun. This is about maximizing the value of the players as much as it's about building a winning team.

 

[BRS24]

Ok, so all the mock drafts I've seen have our players going anywhere from 1st to 3rd round to not drafted. Last year's draft was a bit crazy, and this year, the WNBA has only invited 12 players to attend. There are quite a few social media posts of the 12 around NYC over the last couple of days.

I keep thinking, how much confidence does the league have that these will be the players drafted either in the 1st round, or early 2nd? And also wondering how many players that weren't invited are going to be surprise pics. I just hope we don't have an Aaron Rogers situation tonight, as we've already seen a few "Sonny Weaver" moves over last 48 hrs.

I'd love to know how teams indicate who they might draft. Wondering if the WNBA asks each team for a list of 3-5, and they anonymously aggregate it to settle on who was invited? Hmmmm.

So, if I'm reading this correctly (after a long day), Hillmon (3/15), Cunane (5/17), and Henderson (8/20) were taken in the 2nd round. I feel bad for them, with all the build up, the focus on social media. Hey, they got drafted, but still, it still stinks that they were promoted and then not drafted in the first round. To add insult to injury, not all draft picks after the 1st round were announced consistently, which is bad optics by a league that wants to be taken seriously.

 

[DrummerDee]

Ok, so all the mock drafts I've seen have our players going anywhere from 1st to 3rd round to not drafted. Last year's draft was a bit crazy, and this year, the WNBA has only invited 12 players to attend. There are quite a few social media posts of the 12 around NYC over the last couple of days. 2nd? And also wondering how many players that weren't invited are going to be surprise pics. I just hope we don't have anW

I'd love to know how teams indicate who they might draft. Wondering if the WNBA asks each team for a list of 3-5, and they anonymously aggregate it to settle on who was invited? Hmmmm.

Well, Williams went before Cunane, Hillman and Henderson, all who were invited. Ono went before Henderson, and Westbrook right after her. So much for their short list of invitees. Damn, Hull was #6 and wasn't invitded.Neither was #8 and #10. What would it hurt if all 36 were invited? It's not like it was a lavish affair. Pretty much a bunch of tables in an empty room.

 

[Carnac]

Anyone have any opinions/projections about the probability of our 3 seniors making the cut of their respective teams?

 

[psconn]

Anyone have any opinions/projections about the probability of our 3 seniors making the cut of their respective teams?

I think Christyn has the best shot at a roster spot. Less confident on E and Liv, but 6'5 helps and E knows how to work. All three should be able to make a living and do some traveling around the world for a few years even if the W doesn't work out. It all depends on what their personal goals are.

 

[Carnac]

I think Christyn has the best shot at a roster spot. Less confident on E and Liv, but 6'5 helps and E knows how to work. All three should be able to make a living and do some traveling around the world for a few years even if the W doesn't work out. It all depends on what their personal goals are.

First round draft choices almost always make the cut. They are the cream of the crop for their draft class, and usually were selected to fill a need. Second round draft choices traditionally have a less than a 50-50 chance of making the cut because (depending on any particular team) there aren't usually that many open roster spots, the first round pick will take a spot, and you have veteran WNBA players that are in camp on a "training camp" contract hoping to secure a roster spot. Some teams traditionally have rosters that are extremely hard to make. The Sparks and Lynx are good examples.

[Sparks 2022 roster]
[Washington Mystics 2022 roster]
[Seattle Storm 2022 roster]

As of today (4/12/22), there 18 players on the Spark's roster, with Liz Cambage, Amanda Zauhi B and ONO listed as centers. Chiney Ogwumike is listed as a F-C. All WNBA teams are limited to 12 active roster players. That's going to be a tough nut for ONO to crack.

A question to anyone that can answer it........What do the players that were drafted do with their classes the rest of the school year?
Last day of spring semester classes at UConn is in 2 weeks on April 29. The regular WNBA season begins the following week on May 6. Do the players take the remainder of their classes on-line or what? I doubt they can make the roster if they're not in camp while they finish the remainder of their class requirements. How does that work? I've always wondered about that.