It may be time to hold an intervention with the curator of NBADraft.net's most recent mock draft, as they currently list former BYU Cougar and current Georgia Bulldog Kanon Catchings as the fourth player off the board.
We love you, we support you, and we're here for you -- but there will be a cold day in hell before a junior Kanon Catchings is selected with a top 10 pick, let alone fourth overall to the Utah Jazz. And another thing: the draft order is ridiculous.
The Jazz are picking fourth overall despite having traded away their own first-round pick for Jaren Jackson Jr, and furthermore, their core of George, Peterson, Markkanen, and JJJ has apparently imploded and left the team no better off than last season, when the team resorted to sitting their starters for the majority of the season for the fourth-worst record. The Washington Wizards are picking first overall again despite a team that features Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, oh, and the number-one overall pick AJ Dybantsa. Now he's a Coug who could be drafted in the top four.
But seeing Catchings' name so high is the true mystery; I haven't seen his name on draft boards since before his freshman season in Provo.
And in case you're interested, Bruce Branch III goes 11th overall in this mock while Collin Chandler is projected to be taken with the 27th overall selection.
This mock draft has been rightfully ridiculed in online spaces (a consequence of undeniable madness, I'm afraid), and I don't want to give it any more attention than it deserves, but we're well past that by now.
2027 NBA Extended Mock Draft: 1.0https://t.co/ZCYi6x0XsH#nbadraft, #2027nbadraft pic.twitter.com/bFtP2RqGfn
— NBADraft.net (@nbadraftnet) July 27, 2026
The explanation only drives home the fact that the author is either unfamiliar with Catchings' young career or is blind with optimism that this will be the year that the junior wing not only cracks the code -- his measurables plus shooting upside make him a fascinating prospect, and were the reason why BYU basketball recruited him so heavily. Yes, Catchings enjoyed a strong season in a more consistent role with the Bulldogs last season, but he still gathered little to no draft buzz after his sophomore season. Catching the NBA's attention (no pun intended) only becomes more challenging with age, and the last time we saw an upperclassman drafted so high was in 2013, when Victor Oladipo's stardom with Indiana lifted him to the fourth overall pick.
It would be a miraculous leap for Catchings to climb that high, though it's not unrealistic to project a junior leap now in his second year in Athens.
If Catchings can deliver consistency at the wing, near 40% three-point shooting, and servicable defense (built upon a foundation of effort and reliability), I see no reason why he shouldn't be in the NBA Draft conversation.
Just not as high as fourth overall.
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