Richie Saunders' draft stock has been enigmatic this offseason. A player at his age already has a bit of an uphill climb when it comes to breaking through to the NBA stage, but add the fact that Saunders tore his ACL at the end of his senior season, and most pro teams seemed initially dissuaded from taking a swing at the Tater Tot King.
Yeah, remember that?
As we crawl closer and closer to the draft, however, the ground is rumbling with more and more ferocity beneath the Cougar veteran's feet. He's sliding up the draft board, and all appearances suggest that Richie could get all the way up into the early second round.
Sean Farnham was especially optimistic about Saunders' draft stock in a recent interview with BYU Sports Nation, where he felt confident the BYU star could hear his name called very early in the second round.
"I think the margins are very slim for those that are in that position [the second round]," Farnham explained. "What that means is there's a lot of similar ratings for NBA prospects in the second round right now. So it comes down to what your fit is, what your need is, and what you want. ... Analytically driven, that's why you hear certain people say [Richie] grades out to be a first-round pick."
"His efficiency plus his motor and his ability to create rebounds... all those things kind of lean to that. ... Some teams don't see a lot of value in a second-round pick right now, so they're going to look to stash players overseas. Others are going to look for players they feel like can be a diamond in the rough. I think Richie falls in the diamond in the rough [category]. ...because of the injury."
Could Richie Saunders make it into the 30s in the draft?@SeanFarnham thinks so 👀 pic.twitter.com/prXwqVUuyB
— BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) June 11, 2026
He went on to draw comparisons to players like Landry Shamet, who's been making winning basketball plays during his minutes with the New York Knicks, currently up 3-1 in the NBA Finals over San Antonio.
There's no guarantee that Saunders will be a sure-thing success at the next level; the barrier between the first and second rounds is one that not many players are able to overcome and turn into a lengthy NBA career. Saunders has proved he has the mental and physical toughness to overcome any obstacle, the work ethic to make up the difference between himself and his competition, and the flat-out talent to shoot the ball at an elite clip.
In line with Farnham's statements, Saunders seems to be uniformly climbing up draft boards, with at least four mock drafts putting him right in striking distance of the top 30.
Richie Saunders in NBA Mock Drafts
Adam Finkelstein: 36th overall - Los Angeles Clippers
The Athletic: 40th overall - Boston Celtics
On3: 40th overall - Boston Celtics
Sports Illustrated: 43rd overall - Brooklyn Nets
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