Darryn Peterson Tops Early 2026 NBA Mock Draft Despite Limited Action
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Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has logged just two college games, but he already sits atop Sam Vecenie’s newest 2026 NBA mock draft for The Athletic, edging out Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
Vecenie’s projection lists North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 5, with Tennessee’s Nate Ament falling outside the top five.
Peterson, who grew up in Northeast Ohio and began high school at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy near Akron, scored more than 20 points in each of his two appearances for the Jayhawks. He shot better than 57 percent from the field and connected from three-point range before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the past seven contests.
Standing 6-foot-5½ in shoes with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and an 8-foot-7 standing reach—measurements taken at last year’s Adidas Eurocamp—the freshman checks “all the boxes for an elite on-ball guard,” Vecenie wrote. Scouts, he added, admire Peterson’s ability to score at all three levels, create for teammates, and defend with size, length, and toughness.
Vecenie noted that Peterson’s most significant stride last season came as a playmaker, as he began reading secondary and tertiary defenders and using that vision to manipulate help coverage—an element the analyst believes separates him from the rest of the 2026 class.
Should the hamstring heal and Peterson return to the floor, evaluators expect the early buzz to intensify.
Source: Hoops Wire
