NBA Mock Draft: Toronto Raptors Swing on Purdue’s Zach Edey

Armed with the No. 19 pick, the Raptors left with a Canadian big man in a recent 2024 NBA mock draft.

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) and Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) fight for a rebound during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, Monday, April 8, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

After losing out on their own first round pick sent over to San Antonio in the Jakob Poeltl trade, the Raptors now own just the No. 19 pick.

While losing the selection was a blow, they’ll still have the opportunity to add talent, especially with the skill-level flattening out exponentially in the teens at the 2024 draft.

A recent mock draft uploaded to YouTube saw the Raptors leave with Zach Edey, Purdue’s gargantuan 7-footer that earned credibility as one of the best collegiate players of all time throughout his career. You can watch the full mock draft below:

While the Edey-Toronto pairing seems a better story than legitimate tandem, it’s certainly not out of the question that the Raptors add some frontcourt depth.

At 7-foot-4, Edey dominated college basketball with 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game last season. While many think some parts of Edey’s game might not translate, he’s one of the best play-finishers in the draft, dominating around the rim in the half court and actions.

With Toronto, Edey would likely be used sparingly as a backup center, getting easy offense, grabbing boards and playing drop coverage on defense. A pick-and-roll pairing of Scottie Barnes and Edey could be deadly

If the team was to lean into Edey's talents, it’s not out of the question he could become a legitimate NBA starter. Overall, it’s not bad value for Toronto to bring Edey in with No. 19, before leaning into development for the next few seasons.

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