Hoops expert says BYU's Richie Saunders graded as a late first-round pick pre injury

Richie Saunders might just be the most overlooked prospect in the entire NBA Draft. BYU fans, such as myself, will be quick to agree on this point. After all, watching a player grow from an off-the-bench sparkplug into a 100% authentic All-Big 12 First Team honoree during his four-year career in Provo has given Cougar fans a front-row seat to exactly what he brings to a basketball team.

Grit. Hustle. Knockdown shooting. Connective passing. Most of all, Richie Saunders is a player who takes no plays off -- he just cares too much to let one pass by.

Intel from mock draft artists and Saunders himself insists that the NBA still holds him in high regard, and considers him a sure-thing entry into the draft, though he's still floating vaguely through the second round in most projections.

According to Sean Farnham, though, Richie Saunders' value as a draft prospect is much higher than even most BYU fans gave him credit for.

"If Richie Saunders was completely healthy, and this draft has shaped out the way that it has, and remember we've seen multiple players who would've been first-round picks return to college for a high-dollar value ... It's weakened a little bit towards the end of the first round. I still think that Richie healthy had a late first-round grade."

"He probably would have been drafted between 22 and 30."

"His recovery is ahead of schedule, and he still grades out better than most second-round picks. Which tells me that while I agree he deserves to be a first-round pick, he's not going to be. He's going to be an early second-round pick."

"He was masterful [against Kansas] in finding his rhythm and getting into his shot. I think that Richie Saunders is going to have a spot in the NBA. I don't think he's going to be a first-round pick, but again if he was healthy, he would be."

So the question then becomes just how much does Richie's ACL tear actually impact his draft stock? If his recovery is, in fact, well ahead of schedule and NBA organizations believe that he is an impact player at the next level, why are teams still cautious to pull the trigger before the 30th pick?

Saunders is a player whose archetype is driven by effort, not athleticism. Precision, not pyrotechnics. The consensus on Saunders is that he's the type of player who can be a difference maker as a pro, and that he projects to have a long NBA career in the right situation. In the meantime, however, his status is foggy.

Imagine where he could be if he had never torn that ACL.

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