Gators Players Shoot Up NBA Draft Board Amidst Final Four

Guard Walter Clayton Jr. and forward Thomas Haugh are rising up draft boards after impressive showings in the NCAA Tournament.

Mar 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) and guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) celebrate defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Fresh off an electric comeback win in the Elite Eight over Texas Tech, two Florida Gators basketball players are seeing their draft stock rise.

When Bleacher Report NBA expert Jonathan Wasserman released his 2025 NBA Mock Draft 1.0 in January, Florida senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. was projected to be the 42nd overall pick, while sophomore forward Thomas Haugh was not even mentioned.

After earning a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament and eventually punching their ticket to the Final Four, Clayton Jr. is now projected to be a first-round pick, while Haugh is slated to go early in the second round.

Unsurprisingly, Walter Clayton Jr. is projected a first pick on Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft pic.twitter.com/PTgqnpHeDN

— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) March 31, 2025

Florida sophomore forward Thomas Haugh is shooting up NBA Draft boards.

Bleacher Report projects pick No.34 to the Charlotte Hornets. pic.twitter.com/kJLPMuM6v7

— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) March 31, 2025

After a dominant season that led to him becoming the only First-Team All American in program history, Clayton Jr. is now projected to go 29th overall to the Phoenix Suns. Most recently, he scored 30 points on 50 percent shooting to lead Florida back from a double-digit deficit in the second half of Florida's Elite Eight win over Texas Tech.

Haugh, now projected to go 34th overall, also rose to the occasion last Saturday. The Pennsylvania native put up 20 points while also bringing down 11 rebounds to help push Florida past Texas Tech.

One Gator player who has dropped in the recent rankings is forward Alex Condon.

Florida's defensive centerpiece is now projected to be selected No.46, after previously being slotted at No. 44. Condon is also considered to be a top Australian Rules Football prospect. Ahead of this season, he signed a Category B rookie futures contract with the Collingwood Magpies of the AFL.

The Gators return to the floor on Saturday in San Antonio against Auburn for a chance to go to the National Championship. Tipoff is at 6:09 ET with television coverage on CBS.

The 2025 NBA Draft will be held from June 25-26 in New York.