Rutgers Star Ace Bailey Falls Down Draft Board in Recent Mock Draft

Where is Ace Bailey projected to land in the 2025 NBA Draft?

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots the ball while USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is officially in the books.

Teams in the lottery now know where they will be picking and initial plans can be made. The top prospects in the draft have remained unchanged and this includes Rutgers Scarlet Knights standout Ace Bailey.

Duke's Cooper Flagg and Bailey's teammate, Dylan Harper, have been pegged early as the top-two picks in many mock drafts. After that, there are many ways this draft can go.

This includes with Bailey — who remains a wild card.

While many mocks will have Bailey pegged somewhere in the top three or four, a recent mock draft from SB Nation has him falling to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7.

"When Bailey is hot, he can takeover a game as a scorer with a pure jumper very few players can effectively contest... He has the athletic tools to recover defensively, showing solid supplemental rim protection skills and defensive rebounding potential. Bailey is so talented that he can usually get a decent look at the rim, but that doesn’t mean he should always take it... It’s hard to envision Bailey as a star when his handle and playmaking remain this much of a work in progress, but he should still have a high floor with his size, explosiveness, and shooting if he learns to slow down and consistently make smarter reads."

Ricky O'Donnell, SB Nation

Bailey was named Third Team All-Big Ten and to the All-Freshman Team this year. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 45.8% from the field. Bailey scored a total of 510 points and currently sits third all-time in program history.

Bailey is expected to be one of the first players taken in the 2025 NBA Draft but the range can be anywhere from No. 3 to Philadelphia near the bottom of the Top 10. It will be interesting to see where the former Scarlet Knight lands on draft night.