Where Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell Fall in Post-Lottery NBA Mock Drafts

The two former members of the Louisville men's basketball program are expected to be drafted next month.

Feb 23, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) on the court in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - We're one step closer to finding out where former Louisville men's basketball guards Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell will be starting their NBA careers. The lottery for the 2026 NBA Draft was held on Sunday, with the Washington Wizards earning the No. 1 overall pick.

With the lottery now in the rear view mirror, the order for the draft is now set in stone. While the NBA Draft Combine later this month will play some role in influencing their draft stocks, projecting where Brown and Conwell will be selected just became a little easier.

In the wake of the lottery, multiple outlets have published updated mock NBA Drafts in the hours since. So where do they have Brown and Conwell going?

All six of the mocks by major publications have Brown as a top-10 pick. Sports Illustrated has him going No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings; The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN and SBNation all project him being selected by the Atlanta Hawks at No. 8 overall; while Yahoo Sports has Brown going No. 9 overall to the Dallas Mavericks.

"It was an uneven college stint for Brown, who dealt with lingering back injuries that saw him bounce in and out of the lineup for Louisville while the draft’s other top point guards put up monster numbers," Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney wrote on Brown. "That said, he may have the highest upside of the point guards in this class given his size, explosiveness off the dribble and shooting potential. He looked like a potential top-five pick after dominating the all-star circuit and U19 World Cup last spring and summer, events scouts will certainly remember especially if his medicals check out."

Three of these mock drafts projected the entire NBA Draft and not just the first round, and all three of them tab Conwell as an early second round pick. The Athletic projected him going No. 36 to the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN tabbed him at 38th to the Chicago Bulls, while Yahoo Sports had him at No. 40 to the Boston Celtics.

"He’s a stocky 6-foot-4 lefty with broad shoulders, no real first step, and exactly one dunk in four years of college basketball. But he's a knockdown shooter with deep range and a bruiser at the rim who absorbs contact like a fullback," Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Conner wrote of Conwell.

Of note, two of these mocks have former Kansas forward/center and Louisville transfer commit Flory Bidunga as being drafted. Yahoo Sports has him going No. 36 overall to the Clippers, ESPN projects him coming off the board at No. 41 by the Miami Heat, while The Athletic intentionally did not include him.

The NBA Draft Combine is currently underway and lasts until May 17, and the draft itself will take place on June 23-24.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram for the latest news.

(Photo of Mikel Brown Jr.: Bob Donnan - Imagn Images)