AJ Dybantsa was BYU basketball's headline magnet in the 2025-26 season -- and for good reason, of course -- but perhaps we should be shifting the narrative to Richie Saunders, the 24-year-old senior and heartbeat of the Cougars' basketball program, who is steadily climbing up draft boards everywhere.
Sure, he tore his ACL at the tail end of his final season at BYU, and yes, he'll have already eclipsed a quarter century before playing his first NBA minutes, but Saunders works like none other and has drawn the attention of certain draft analysts like Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor.
Are we sure Richie Saunders isn’t a first round pick in the 2026 NBA draft? Well, @sam_vecenie has a first round grade on the product of @BYUMBB. https://t.co/m2uEmr5xVp pic.twitter.com/5Lb8JgccnF
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 27, 2026
The statement that O'Connor would be shocked if Saunders didn't turn out to be a long-time pro speaks volumes about the BYU product's potential at the next level. For most second-round draft picks, simply getting a guaranteed NBA contract is the baseline objective. But a prospect like Saunders, who has proven to outwork and overachieve during four excellent years in Provo, could just be the steal of the draft once the first round turns to the second.
O'Connor questions why Saunders isn't in consideration for a first-round pick -- and I share my voice of outrage with his.
A sharp-shooter who has added enough muscle to his frame to compete with the grown men in the pros should be a highly-appealing proposition on its own. Add to Saunders' resume the fact that he was a cultural leader and a beacon for his teammates in Kevin Young's locker room, and any team with a young, blossoming core should be itching to obtain this soon-to-be 25-year-old.
And taking one look at the mock draft scene, Saunders' value is dancing right on the border of the first round, with obvious variance, considering how unpredictable the order becomes from the end of the lottery onward.
Richie Saunders in NBA Mock Drafts
Tankathon: 35th to San Antonio
Yahoo Sports: 56th to Chicago
NBADraft.net: 52nd to Los Angeles Clippers
ESPN: 41st*
*ESPN's list is of best available players, not a typical mock draft format
Does any of this prove Saunders is climbing into the first round? Probably not; that's a nearly impossible hurdle to clear when you've solidified your reputation as a second-round talent. But considering we see at least two mock drafts that have Richie carrying the value of a borderline first-rounder, a shrewd organization may just come up with a draft steal from BYU -- one not named AJ Dybantsa.
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