It took them long enough!
Among a star-studded NBA Draft class, Caleb Wilson has often been disrespected by those who evaluate this group. Many point to AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, often leaving Wilson in that second tier of elite prospects.
In fact, Cameron Boozer has also been regarded in most circles as the better prospect, something Tar Heel fans will certainly love to debate.
While Wilson has been undervalued up to this point, it seems that NBA executives are starting to take notice of just how good Caleb Wilson is (and can be down the road).
Caleb Wilson skyrockets in new NBA Mock Draft
The former Tar Heel is moving his way up the mock draft boards, as Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo! had him jump to being the No. 2 overall pick in this draft class. O'Connor has Wilson projected to be selected by the Atlanta Hawks, just one pick behind Dybantsa (who, in this mock draft is bound to join the Chicago Bulls).
New mock draft! It’s a chaotic week in the NBA. First rounders are going back to college. Friday’s the declaration deadline. So I made a chaotic mock. What if each 14% team falls out of the top four? What if Indiana loses its pick? What if OKC moves up? https://t.co/IvJil8HYPx
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 22, 2026
Here's what O'Connor had to say about why Wilson has jumped up the draft board:
"Front office executives around the NBA increasingly believe Wilson could be the second player taken in June’s draft. While his exact spot won’t be clear until after the Draft Lottery, once each pick is determined, some teams value the high-flying North Carolina freshman above the more ground-bound Cam Boozer from Duke. Others view Wilson as having similarly high upside as Kansas guard Darryn Peterson with dramatically lower downsides due to Peterson’s availability concerns."
No disrespect to Boozer, who is a heck of a basketball player in his own right. However, when you're looking at future potential and what a player brings to the table, there's no denying that Wilson has the higher upside.
Boozer is a prototypical replica of his father, Carlos, who put together a nice NBA career of his own. Wilson simply feels like the better prospect, given that it doesn't even seem like he's reached his full potential just yet.
NBA scouts may not be willing to pass up on the prospect with arguably the highest upside that this draft class has to offer.
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