Three Draft Prospects For Raptors Before March Madness

The Toronto Raptors are in possession of a first-round pick in this year's draft, so they should be paying close attention to March Madness, which begins this week.

Here's a look at three players draft experts have going to the Raptors in their mock drafts across the internet.

Bryan Kalbrosky, USA Today: Iowa SG Bennett Stirtz

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz looks at a replay. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The Raptors could use another guard and should have Bennett Stirtz on their priority list. After transferring from Division II to a mid-major and then to a high-major program, he is at the top of the class in creating his own shot off the dribble in isolation or the pick and roll," Kalbrosky wrote.

"The All-Big Ten guard can also finish plays from dribble handoffs. Stirtz, however, occasionally struggled against highly ranked teams like Iowa State, Illinois, Michigan State and Nebraska. But the Raptors play at a slow pace, which would translate well for Stirtz, who is doing the same at Iowa."

Our Take: The Raptors need to add some strong shooters and starts. He is one of the best in the draft in that department. Stirtz is averaging 20 points per game for the Hawkeyes while shooting over 37% from beyond the arc.

Last year, Stirtz helped the Drake Bulldogs reach the second round of the tournament after pulling off the upset against the Missouri Tigers. This year, Stirtz plays for Iowa, who projects to have a shot at making some noise in the tournament.

Jeremy Woo, ESPN.com: Alabama PG Labaron Philon Jr.

"Philon made first-team All-SEC and continues to show impressive shot creation chops, proving he can get to spots off the dribble and score from all over the floor," Woo wrote. "NBA teams know he can score, but some evaluators question his organizational skills and whether he's ultimately best suited for a bench spark plug role -- one that's viewed as replaceable.

"He helped himself quite a bit by returning to school, but the point guard depth in this draft class might hurt his chances of sneaking into the lottery."

Our Take: Alabama has a few players from its program in the league, and Labaron Philon Jr. appears to be the next in the pipeline. Philon had a chance to enter the NBA last year, but he chose to remain in Tuscaloosa for another season. That decision paid off as he went from averaging 10.6 points per game in his freshman year to 21.7 points, leading the Crimson Tide in scoring.

The Raptors could benefit from adding another scorer in the backcourt, and Philon could fill in that role. Philon and the Crimson Tide project to be a top four seed in the bracket, which will give them a chance to make a deep run. That should give the Raptors a chance to see what he could bring to the table.

Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report: Michigan C Aday Mara

"Mara will face real physical challenges at the NBA level, since he is predictably slow for a 7'3", 255-pounder—and not exceptionally strong for his size. That said, he's turning heads by turning back opponents' shots at an exceptional rate (6.4 blocks per 100 possessions), and his unique feel for passing gives him an interesting archetype," Buckley wrote.

Our Take: While the Raptors could benefit from adding another guard, the team needs a centre more than anything. Mara is expected to be one of the top centres entering the draft and he could boost his stock tremendously in the tournament.

Michigan is expected to be one of the top seeds and Mara has been a big reason why. The Spanish center is averaging 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds to go with 2.6 blocks per game. He played two years with the UCLA Bruins before transferring to Michigan, who has become one of the powerhouses in the country this season.

The Raptors don't have very many players that can be a true paint protector, but Mera would be able to join Jakob Poeltl in the centre rotation, giving the Raptors some help in a much needed way.