With news Tuesday that UConn guard Azzi Fudd will return to college next season, the picture is becoming clearer of which players will be available for the 2025 WNBA draft on April 14. And with the ongoing women’s NCAA tournament, talent evaluators are getting their last good look at players competing against their toughest competition. Which players have upped their stock?
Fudd is draft-eligible for two reasons: She has been in college four years even though she has played only three (she missed all but two games last season with a knee injury) and because she is already 22.
UCLA center Lauren Betts and Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson are two other standout draft-eligible players who have announced they are staying in college. The true juniors are eligible for the 2025 draft because they turn 22 in this calendar year. Fudd, Betts and Latson now are top prospects for the 2026 draft.
LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson, like Betts and Latson, is also draft-eligible for 2025 because she turns 22 this year. But for now we are not including her in the mock draft as she is a true junior who has not announced her plans.
Players are supposed to declare their draft status within 48 hours after their team’s season has ended. The WNBA has shown some leeway on that deadline in the past. Johnson’s Tigers have advanced to the Sweet 16, which will be played Friday and Saturday.
So there are still a lot of moving pieces with the draft just three weeks away.
But with what we know now, here is ESPN’s latest mock draft for the first round.
UConn | point guard | 6-foot-0 | senior
There has been plenty of chatter in the hoops world that Bueckers might not want to play in Dallas. She hasn’t commented on the topic. But as it stands, Bueckers is the clear top pick. Even though she has one season of eligibility remaining, Bueckers has made it clear she won’t return to UConn. She is averaging 18.7 points and shooting 41.6% from behind the arc.
Notre Dame | point guard | 5-10 | junior
Miles has not announced whether she’s declaring for the draft, but because this would have been her draft class without the injury, we are including her. Miles had a scare with an ankle injury in Notre Dame’s first-round NCAA tournament win over Stephen F. Austin, but she returned to start in the second-round victory over Michigan. Miles stands out for her scoring, playmaking and 3-point accuracy. She averages 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and is shooting 40.1% from behind the arc. Miles also has Notre Dame’s guard reputation working for her: Several Irish alums are excelling in the WNBA.
USC | power forward | 6-3 | senior
The Mystics have a new coach, a new general manager and need to find a new direction. They now have three of the top six picks in the WNBA draft; this No. 3 selection came when the Mystics dealt guard Ariel Atkins, who was on their 2019 championship team, to Chicago in February.
WNBA scouts had to notice how Iriafen took over in Monday’s NCAA tournament second-round game when the Trojans faced a worst-case scenario and lost star JuJu Watkins to a knee injury. Iriafen kept her composure and led USC to victory with a season-high 36 points on 16-of-22 shooting.
She had a breakthrough season as a junior (19.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG) at Stanford, and is now averaging 18.6 PPG and 8.5 RPG for USC. Her stock was already high, but her response Monday might have made it even higher.
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Kiki Iriafen’s 36-point game helps advance USC to Sweet 16
Kiki Iriafen finishes with 36 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as USC defeats Mississippi State.
Notre Dame | shooting guard | 6-1 | senior
It’s hard to tell at this point if the Mystics know for sure what their master plan is with this draft. But it’s easy to see the appeal of a player like Citron. As mentioned with Miles, Notre Dame has a reputation for producing WNBA-ready guards. Citron was a first-team All-ACC pick this season in addition to being on the league’s all-defensive team. She has very good size and instincts as a perimeter defender, and she can make big shots. She is averaging 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The past two seasons, she has shot better than 90% from the free throw line.
France | center | 6-6
Overseas players who don’t play collegiately in the United States are also draft candidates. To be eligible for the draft, they must turn 20 in the same calendar year. Malonga is one of the most talked about overseas players expected to be selected high in April. Sometimes young players from overseas are picked for the future, even if they don’t intend to play that year. However, her agent told ESPN that Malonga — who turns 20 in November — intends to play this WNBA season.
Malonga, who played for France in the Olympics last summer, seems to have a high ceiling. There have been comparisons made to New York’s Jonquel Jones, who was the WNBA Finals MVP last season and won the regular-season MVP with Connecticut in 2021. That’s a lot of expectation to put on a teenager, so we will wait a while to see how apt the comparisons are. The Valkyries’ first free agency didn’t go as they hoped for in February, and it might be tough for them to compete in their inaugural season. But perhaps they will draft a promising player like Malonga and get her some WNBA experience as they are establishing the franchise.
Maryland | point guard | 6-2 | senior
Sellers has good size and can play either guard position. She is known for being able to find a way to make an impact and is averaging 14.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 41.3% from behind the arc. Sellers had 28 points, going 9-of-9 from the foul line, in Maryland’s come-from-behind 111-108 second-round victory against Alabama on Monday. Now she and the Terps will face defending national champion South Carolina, another chance for Sellers to show her stuff on the big stage.
LSU | small forward | 6-1 | senior
Morrow leads Division I in rebounding (13.5 RPG) and double-doubles (29) this season, while also averaging 18.5 points. In her first two seasons at DePaul and the past two at LSU, Morrow has proved she consistently produces. She hasn’t shot the 3-pointer as well as she will look to do in the WNBA, but it’s not what LSU needs her to do. She has made a combined 21 treys for the Tigers, compared to 67 while at DePaul. So far in LSU’s two NCAA tournament games, Morrow has a combined 38 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists.
Slovenia | power forward | 6-3
Like Washington, the Sun are in rebuilding mode with a new coach, and they must find a new identity with so many key players from recent years having moved on, including face-of-the-franchise Alyssa Thomas. They might look to another youngster from overseas. Sivka is draft-eligible like Malonga because she turns 20 this year (both in November). Sivka plays for the Slovenian national team and professionally in France, where Sun coach Rachid Meziane is from. Sivka could be a draft-and-stash prospect or could play in the WNBA this year.
TCU | guard | 5-9 | senior
Van Lith’s stock seems to have risen not just in the NCAA tournament but with the entire season she has had at TCU, where she was Big 12 player of the year and league tournament MVP. She is averaging 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists and has helped lead the Horned Frogs to their first Sweet 16. Van Lith’s ability to play well in the pick-and-roll translates to the WNBA. And even if there are questions about her defense, there should be no doubt about her winning mentality. She has been a success at Louisville, LSU and now TCU, plus she won a bronze medal in 3×3 in the Paris Olympics.
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TCU holds off Louisville to advance to 1st Sweet 16
Jayda Curry finishes with 41 points for Louisville, but it’s enough as Hailey Van Lith and TCU prevail to reach the Sweet 16.
Kentucky | point guard | 5-6 | senior
Amoore isn’t big size-wise, but her heart and basketball IQ are huge. She led Virginia Tech to its first Final Four in 2023. This year, she followed former Hokies coach Kenny Brooks and transferred to Kentucky. Amoore had a tough finish for her career, missing a game-winning shot in the second round against Kansas State on Sunday. But look at the entirety of her season: She averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists while playing an SEC-high 36.7 minutes per game. Veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot, 36, is back in Chicago and the Sky might see her as a great mentor for Amoore.
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Highlight: Amoore’s 34 points helps Kentucky survive Liberty
The 4-seed Wildcats advance to the second round with a nail-biting 79-78 win over the 13-seed Lady Flames as Georgia Amoore ties UK’s NCAA Tournament single-game scoring record
NC State | small forward | 6-1 | senior
Rivers and NC State teammate Aziaha James are prospective first-round picks. Right now, we lean a bit toward Rivers with her size and ability to defend a variety of players. She also has proved herself to be an adept playmaker and can run the court well. She helped lead the Wolfpack to the Final Four last season, and they are in the Sweet 16 this year. Rivers is averaging 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks. She does it all.
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Saniya Rivers’ 17 points, 11 assists fuels NC State to Sweet 16
Saniya Rivers stuffs the stat sheet with 17 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in the Wolfpack’s takedown of Michigan State.
TCU | center | 6-7 | senior
Prince has a lot going for her in terms of how this season has gone at TCU. The Frogs were the top team in the Big 12 and now are in the Sweet 16. Prince is averaging 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. She is a traditional center, and there is still a place for that type of player in the WNBA. However, Prince has dealt with off-court issues involving her personal life that WNBA teams may be wary of. And the Wings already have 6-7 center Teaira McCowan, but they could see Prince as an intriguing backup for her. Prince might boost her stock more depending on how well she plays for the remainder of TCU’s tournament run.