Inside The Jazz

Utah Jazz Mock Draft 1.0: Who Will Be Available at No. 5?

How could the Utah Jazz's four selections play out in this year's NBA Draft?

Jared Koch

Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) / Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) / Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4)
Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) / Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) / Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) / Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images, Bob Donnan-Imagn Images, Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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While the action of this year's NBA Finals still continues to unfold, the 2025 NBA Draft is sitting just under two weeks away from kicking off on June 25th.

For the Utah Jazz, it could be the most critical point of a big offseason for the future of their franchise. They'll have four selections at their disposal at 5, 21, 43, and 53, with most eyes focused on how things could transpire for their fifth-overall pick on the board; their first top-five pick since Dante Exum in 2014.

Duke's Cooper Flagg is a lock to go number one to the Dallas Mavericks, while Rutgers' Dylan Harper seems all but certain to go second overall to whatever team may select him. After that, the outlook gets a bit foggier as to how the board may fall, leaving the Jazz in a fascinating position at their number five spot.

So, with a little over a week remaining until the Jazz make their long-awaited draft decisions, let's make a few early predictions on how those four picks could eventually fall for Utah across what could be two days of chaos in Brooklyn.

Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) reacts against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Aren
Mar 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) reacts against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

5. VJ Edgecombe | Baylor, G

Stats: 33 G, 15.0 PTS, 5.6 REB, 3.2 AST, 2.1 STL, 43.6 FG%, 34.0 3PT%, 78.2 FT%

Rutgers wing Ace Bailey seems like a strong and versatile fit with the Philadelphia 76ers at three, and there's an increasing amount of buzz surrounding Duke's Kon Knueppel to be a top-five pick, potentially pinning him to be aligned with the Charlotte Hornets at four.

If that's the scenario that plays out, the Jazz could get their hands on Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, one of the best guard prospects in this year's class, with the long-awaited star ceiling Utah has been coveting since pressing the reset button on the franchise three summers ago.

This might finally be the offseason we see the likes of Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson shipped out of this Jazz backcourt, leaving a perfect route for the Jazz to pick up another young guard to fit into their core of Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier. Edgecombe is perhaps the best available name on the board and enters as an explosive, athletic piece with high two-way upside.

His fit within the Jazz's existing backcourt would be an interesting one. For strong on-ball players like George and Collier, he'd likely be another to fit into that mix to get his highest impact at the next level, so that makes for an intriguing three-guard rotation to work out for Will Hardy. But, for a Utah front office that should be focused on taking the best available talent here at five, the Baylor guard would probably be the best route to go here.

Washington State Cougars guard Cedric Coward (0) makes an easy lay up against the Eastern Washington Eagles
Nov 21, 2024; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Cedric Coward (0) makes an easy lay up against the Eastern Washington Eagles in the first half at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

21. Cedric Coward | G, Washington State

Stats: 6 G, 17.7 PTS, 7.0 REB, 3.7 AST, 0.8 STL, 1.7 BLK, 55.7 FG%, 40.0 3PT%, 83.9 FT%

Cedric Coward didn't get much playing time last season due to a season-ending labrum tear, but it hasn't stopped him from being one of the biggest risers during this year's draft cycle, and an appealing fit for the Jazz if he falls to 21. A player who was on the verge of transferring to Duke next season, now finds his way to a potential top-20 draft pick.

Coward has great size on the wing, measuring 6-foot-5 without shoes with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, while also having nice athleticism to pair with to make him a strong fit on the defensive end on the next level. And while his last season of production with Washington State came with a small sample size, he proved during his time with Eastern Washington that he can be an effective and translateable shooter in the NBA.

The Jazz, a team that could use impact defenders and consistent shooters around the roster, could find a ton of value in Coward as a young, long-term piece on the wing, a guy also viewed to have some of the best upside in the entire class.

Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) celebrate after making a three pointer during the second half
Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) celebrate after making a three pointer during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

43. Ryan Kalkbrenner | C, Creighton

Stats: 35 G, 19.2 PTS, 8.7 REB, 1.5 AST, 2.7 BLK, 65.3 FG%, 34.4 3PT%, 68.1 FT%

He's one of the more NBA-ready and older players for the taking, but for a Jazz team eager to add talent around the roster wherever they can, perhaps taking a second-round swing on Kalkbrenner would be a worthwhile investment.

The Jazz recently brought in Kalbrenner for a pre-draft workout, and could add in the Creighton center as an experienced depth piece to place behind Kessler. He's got appealing length, rim protection upside, and someone who could have the chance to be a long-term frontcourt fit alongside Kyle Filipowski in the second unit.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Koby Brea (4) shoots the ball during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rupp
Feb 8, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Koby Brea (4) shoots the ball during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

53. Koby Brea | G, Kentucky

Stats: 36 G, 11.6 PTS, 3.2 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.5 BLK, 47.0 FG%, 43.5 3PT%, 80.2 FT%

Koby Brea is one of, if not the best, three-point shooter in this year's class, so there's easy utility for the Kentucky guard on an NBA roster – even if he may be a potential pickup in the back-end of round two.

For the Jazz, a team that ranked bottom-ten in the NBA for three-point percentage last season, could definitely see some value in a pickup of Brea if his name were still lingering on the board towards the end of the draft. He still leaves a bit to be desired in other areas of his game, and may have some room to grow besides his shooting ability to be a long-term sticking piece in the league (particularly on the defensive side), but at pick 53, he'd be a more than worthy of a dart throw for the Jazz.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.

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