Utah Jazz Land Number One Pick in Way-Too-Early Draft Prediction

With the 2025 NBA Draft cycle now wrapped up with rookies preparing to take on their first year pro, some eyes around the league have already begun looking towards the 2026 class on the horizon and the generational potential that group of incoming young talent could pan out to present.

With the likes of AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, and Darryn Peterson, the top of that class appears to be one of the best we've seen in recent memory, so it's fair to have some early attention on what that group may have in store– even if it may be a bit premature.

However, shockingly enough, there's already been a couple of looks even further than what the 2026 class holds, as even the 2027 class has gained some recent attention from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman in the form of a new mock draft.

And while the events of that draft span a ways away from seeing that actually transpire, in those initial projections from Wasserman, it resulted in some notably positive results for the Utah Jazz.

In B/R's mock, it was the Jazz who ended up with the number-one pick on the board, where they would go on to select forward Tyran Stokes, currently at Notre Dame HS, and still awaiting an official commitment for his upcoming college season.

"Tyran Stokes' mix of power, skill and point-wing versatility has popped since early in his high school career," Wasserman wrote. "He just won his third Gold medal with USA, finishing the U19 World Cup shooting 70.6 percent and with a rare triple-double against Jordan in 24 minutes. Peach Jam's second-leading scorer last month, Stokes continues to show growth with his creation and shotmaking while consistently making plays off his physicality and vision."

At 6-foot-7 with an array of offensive versatility and skills, the prototypical modern wing build the NBA has clearly coveted across recent years, and for a rebuilding, young group like the Jazz has, it's hard to see that versatile archetype of player not filling in perfectly on the wing next to Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and whoever else the core pieces in Utah may be come 2027.

Currently, Stokes has 19 offers reported from 247Sports, with the current leader in the clubhouse to bring him in being Kentucky–– a pretty solid sign when it comes to projecting his NBA future, even if the legendary John Calipari might not be in the building.

Jan 4, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Notre Dame High School (CA) forward Tyran Stokes (4) against Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Of course, we still have a whole separate draft class to watch get selected, along with seeing what this year's rookie class has to offer for the 2025 season. Yet, if the Jazz were able to get this fortunate in a couple of summers, that might be just the spark to truly elevate this young talent to the next level, if that process hadn't happened already by that time.

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