BYU's Richie Saunders is building momentum as an NBA Draft lock in recent mocks

When star guard and the heartbeat of Kevin Young's BYU basketball program, Richie Saunders, went down with an ACL tear against Colorado, there was legitimate concern that one bad landing would mean the difference between a future in the NBA and a professional career out of the US hoops spotlight.

It was devestating. At his age, Saunders is practically elderly by NBA rookie standards, and an injury as serious as an ACL tear could have ramifications for his ceiling as a prospect. It could have been doomsday for the two-time All-Big 12 honoree.

With more league intel informing recent NBA mock drafts, however, the 25-year-old may just have a spot in the NBA after all.

"Richie's not [surprised]," Dave McCann shared on BYU Sports Nation. "He continues to hear from NBA teams as if he were healthy. They love what he did on the floor. [...] The injury was a bummer for so many reasons, but you had the Kansas game before you got hurt. When you're on the road against elite talent, and you dominate, that film right there is what's going to get you a job."

"They see what you can do, and they know that that knee is going to heal."

Quotes like that should strike plenty of confidence in Saunders' NBA outlook, but it's the mock drafts that consistently list his name in the second round that sould have Richie believers bouncing off the walls. The ACL tear may have slowed his momentum for a moment, but this senior sharpshooter projects to be highly sought after at the next level.

BYU fans know exactly what Saunders is capable of on a basketball court -- it's reaffirming to know NBA scouts have seen the same film.

Yahoo Sports - 57th overall

It began with Kevin O'Connor's mock with Yahoo Sports a week ago, where Saunders came off the board dangerously close to the second round. O'Connor has long been a believer in what Richie could deliver to the NBA, listing him in his top 40 prospects of the 2025 draft before Saunders withdrew from the draft for another season of BYU hoops.

"Saunders is a hard-nosed, two-way wing who plays with manic energy and a quick trigger jumper," O'Connor noted. "But he tore his ACL and is already 25 years old."

ESPN - 45th overall

Here is the mock draft that had the hosts of BYU Sports Nation in such high spirits: Jeremy Woo's ESPN list. Currently, Woo has Saunders coming off the board 45th overall in the middle of the second round, ahead of notable Big 12 standouts like Kansas' Flory Bidunga (46) and Arizona's Jaden Bradley (47), who won the Big 12 Player of the Year award.

The Athletic - 42nd overall

But then we saw Sam Vecenie's mock draft for The Athletic of the New York Times, posting Saunders to new heights, where he'd go 42nd overall to the San Antonio Spurs, a notoriously exceptional organization when it comes to drafting quality and player development. Of course, it's worth noting that the Sacramento Kings, who are mocked to take Richie in ESPN's list, are the exact opposite of the Spurs in all of those areas, so take that detail with a grain of salt.

You can see the rest of his mock draft, as this article should be free of any paywalls.

Does any of this guarantee that Saunders will hear his name on draft night? No, of course not, but keep in mind that going from a footnote to a mainstay in most major mock drafts is notable, and can only be perceived as a good thing. It's a sign that the NBA wants what this 25-year old from BYU is selling.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow