Utah Jazz Host Surprise Pre-Draft Workout for Top-10-Projected Guard

For most of the draft process since the Utah Jazz have landed the number-two pick, three prospects have been pinned as some of the most likely selections for Utah to take off the board when the time comes: BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, and Duke's Cameron Boozer.

However, despite the consensus expectation around how the Jazz's plan to attack their top pick, it hasn't stopped them from bringing in some other names outside of those top three for a pre-draft workout.

In fact, it turns out that the Jazz will be the first scheduled pre-draft workout for Louisville guard Mikel Brown, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor.

Mikel Brown Jr. tells me he’s been fully cleared of the back injury he suffered at Louisville, per medicals at the NBA Draft Combine. His first workout is this week with the Utah Jazz. Brown is a projected top 10 pick in the 2026 draft. pic.twitter.com/jBtzkMoBKp
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 26, 2026

Brown, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard, makes for one of the first reported pre-draft workouts for the Jazz as a whole throughout their lead-up to next month's top-two selection.

The freshman out of Louisville, while not as highly touted as the top three big names in the class, certainly has a strong case to land pretty highly on the board, likely even being a top-10 prospect in the class.

During his time at Louisville, Brown averaged impressive numbers on the offensive end of 18.2 points and 4.7 assists across 21 games, shooting 41% from the field and 34% from three in the process.

Clearly, the Jazz see enough appeal in Brown to warrant a closer look in their own building; a workout that will take place later next week as one of many pre-draft visits Utah will be hosting in the weeks leading up to June 23th.

Do the Jazz Have a Real Shot of Drafting Mikel Brown?

There's obvious question when envisioning Brown's fit with the Jazz following their lottery jump into the second-overall pick: will Utah even seriously consider selecting Brown once they're on the clock.

The short answer is probably not. However, through the motions of any draft, teams––especially selecting as high as the Jazz are this year––are tasked with turning over every stone to try and find the best available option to choose with such a premium pick.

That means pre-draft workouts don't have to be strictly held down to who the consensus board says is the best names available.

The Jazz, rather than just hosting the likes of Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer, are digging a bit deeper into other names like Brown, projected to land in the top 10, and rightfully so.

Dec 3, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr (0) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) as head coach John Calipari watches during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 89-80. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

But in reality, the Jazz would likely only consider someone like Brown in the event of a trade down the board.

Taking him over any of the top three (or even four names when including UNC's Caleb Wilson) is borderline impossible to imagine. The chances of Utah trading out of the second pick also appear pretty slim to none when factoring in how strong the top of this year's class is.

So the Jazz bringing Brown into the building probably won't be much to look into in terms of a big-picture fit.

He also won't be the last eye-catching name Utah hosts in the weeks ahead, as they continue to do their due diligence in fully scouting the top of this year's board outside of the big-name guys projected in the top four.

But regardless, Brown will be headed to Salt Lake City later this week for what will be the Jazz's second formal interaction with him since the combine earlier this month.

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