Florida returns all three members of its starting frontcourt for the 2026-27 college basketball season. While Thomas Haugh was already a projected first-rounder, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon have a chance to join him if the season goes well enough.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Haugh going at No. 7 in his first “way-too-early” mock draft. Chinyelu follows at No. 22, and Condon sits in the “other names to watch” category.
Todd Golden has already seen three of his players get selected in a single draft, but Florida hasn’t produced three first-rounders since Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah did it in 2007. All three were top 10 picks, and Florida won its second national championship that season. Can history repeat itself?
No. 7 Thomas Haugh
The case for Haugh is clear. He was already a top-20 pick and second-team All-American as a junior. Haugh enters his senior campaign as an SEC Player of the Year candidate, and perhaps on the national scale as well. The motor is unmatched, and he can score from every level.
Haugh averaged six rebounds per game with Chinyelu and Condon on the court, and he showed some passing presence with two assists per game. He also plays wing at 6-foot-9, which NBA teams want on their roster.
“The next steps will be continued improvement with his mobility on defense and ironing out his jumper consistency, Vecenie wrote. “But it’s hard to find big wings with this level of athleticism, production and motor. Expect him to be right back in the lottery conversation in 2027.”
No. 22 Rueben Chinyelu
Chinyelu was the last of the three to pull out of the 2026 NBA draft, and it makes sense after being named the National Defensive Player of the Year. His stock might not get any higher, but Chinyelu has a chance to set some records while pursuing a second national championship ring.
“Chinyelu is a tailor-made NBA backup center with potential for more,” Vecenie said. “He has exceptional length and an incredibly strong frame that has filled out over the last two years… He can switch onto guards and wings, play at the level or even play in drop coverage while protecting the rim. He destroys the glass, averaging over 11 rebounds per game last season, and finishes efficiently at the basket.”
What could boost his stock is some more in-game success from the midrange. Florida doesn’t need him to score outside of the paint to win, but Todd Golden should allow him to do so, especially in blowout wins. Matching, or even improving on, his 69.3% free-throw percentage is also an easier area to improve in.
Alex Condon
NBA scouts have watched Condon for a few years now. He had first-round projections at the beginning of last year, but he didn’t shoot the ball well enough to hold onto that position. Still, the offense runs through Condon as much as it does the backcourt, and he’s a skilled passer for his size. The defense needs to improve for him last in the NBA, but he’ll get the chance to play pro ball next year no matter what.
“The pitch here is very easy. Condon is a skilled senior at his size who has great hands, great feet, a burgeoning perimeter game and who can pass,” said Vecenie.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Could Florida produce three 1st-rounders in 2027 NBA draft?
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Rosenberg, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
