Two Duke basketball freshmen falling fast on mock drafts

Preseason injuries and a recent absence due to illness haven't helped the draft stocks of presumed one-and-done Duke basketball talents Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II. Nevertheless, they remain in the first round on most mock drafts, along with two other first-year Blue Devils in Tyrese Proctor and Kyle Filipowski.

According to this week's updated aggregate mock draft via HoopsHype, which combines the 10 most notable mock drafts to determine the average position for each player, Dereck Lively II "fell the furthest of any projected lottery pick from the first installment of the aggregate mock draft."

That first installment back in late August had Lively at No. 8 overall. Now, the 7-foot-1 center, who arrived in Durham this summer at No. 1 on the 247Sports 2022 Composite, sits at No. 20.

Meanwhile, Dariq Whitehead, an electric small forward who ranked No. 2 in the 2022 class but missed the Blue Devils' first three games this season while recovering from a fracture in his right foot, has dropped from No. 5 to No. 13 on the second installment of the aggregate mock draft.

Tyrese Proctor, whose seen his ups and downs this year but has started all 13 games in the backcourt for the No. 17 Blue Devils (10-3, 1-1 ACC), went from practically nonexistent in the first round of mock drafts in August to a No. 21 aggregate position this go-round.

And Kyle Filipowski, a polished 7-footer who has started every game at the four-spot and leads the Duke basketball team with his 14.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, has somehow slid five spots to No. 26.

No other Blue Devils appear in the first or second round.

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