Utah Jazz Land Premier Prospect in Latest ESPN Mock Draft

While the Utah Jazz have managed to put a few early-season wins on the board through the first month of their 2025-26 campaign, they haven't been taken off the radar as a top destination for one of this year's premier draft prospects.

And in a draft class like 2026 has to offer, the Jazz could be in to get a huge difference-maker for years to come; a collection of prospects holding franchise-level talents at the top of the board, and if lottery luck is able to swing Utah's way, can provide a major cornerstone to build around for the future.

ESPN's latest mock draft from Jeremy Woo has the Jazz cashing in big on one of those top prospects, projecting Utah to fill in with the third-overall pick for this summer, and with it, taking Duke forward Cameron Boozer; one of the best freshmen in college basketball this season, and an elite pro prospect in the frontcourt.

"He's a polished all-around player who contributes to winning beyond purely scoring, which should help mitigate the fact that he's not as vertically explosive. His outstanding track record will earn him some benefit of the doubt as he settles in to college, and his prolific production will keep him in the conversation with Peterson and Dybantsa atop the draft."

"Utah is off to a better start than expected but still falls in the bottom three in ESPN's BPI win projections and recently lost Walker Kessler for the season because of injury... Boozer would fit nicely as an offensive centerpiece alongside Ace Bailey."

Cameron Boozer Projected to Land No. 3 to Jazz via ESPN

Boozer, the son of former NBA All-Star turned Jazz staffer, Carlos Boozer, could be a quality piece to fit in the middle of Utah's frontcourt, and in this mock draft from Woo, falls behind Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa right ahead of him.

But Boozer is far from a slouch pick himself, even if he does fall in at third-overall. Next to the offensive star that is Lauri Markkanen and a healthy defensive anchor in Walker Kessler, the Duke forward can complement the pair as a quality two-way force that fills out this lineup rather well, also as an excellent one-two punch of the future with this year's rookie, Ace Bailey.

During the early part of his college campaign thus far, Boozer is averaging an impressive 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field, cementing himself as an all-around threat on both ends of the floor with an appealing ceiling at the next level.

Potential No. 1 pick Cameron Boozer in a blowout win:

14 PTS | 5-11 FG | 5 REB | 3 STL | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/gxhNteO4M8
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 22, 2025

He has strong NBA size at 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, and the standout versatility that this Jazz front office would covet. With the college production to match, that'll likely only continue to show itself over the course of this season.

Boozer seems more than likely to remain in those top-three conversations up until next summer rolls around, and an awesome grab for whoever lands him.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) reacts against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

For the Jazz to get the best shot at a guy like Boozer, though, that relies on Utah to keep gradually falling down the league standings over the course of the year to ensure they can land their top-eight projected pick in the hands of the Thunder. If they can climb into the top three picks, that's even better.

Time will tell if the Jazz will be fortunate enough to land him, but on paper, he looks like a seamless piece to add to this budding young core.

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