NBA Draft prospect moves ahead of Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa in latest projections

With the 2026 NCAA tournament officially underway, there are a few NBA Draft prospects to watch. This year's draft class will be one of the best in recent history. It carries the same hype from 1996 with Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. There could also be a comparison to the 2003 class with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

All eyes on the group of talented freshmen led by BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson. The duo have fought for positioning right out of high school. Dybantsa was the consensus overall top prospect before Peterson took the honor. Both were five-star talents and will make an impact at the next level. But there's one player who moved ahead of them at No. 1.

Duke's Cam Boozer has received a ton of buzz, along with Player of the Year consideration. However, the Blue Devils standout hasn't moved to the top of the board before now.

According to Sporting News' senior NBA writer Stephen Noh, Boozer should be viewed as the top talent ahead of Dybantsa and Peterson. There's definitely an argument to be had, but he'll need an outstanding tourney run for Duke to get there.

"Boozer's not the type of A-plus athlete that we are accustomed to seeing from No. 1 picks," Noh wrote. "He relies more on extremely high skill and a bully ball game that some fear may not translate well to the next level. And while he does have some things going for him defensively like size, great hands, and feel, his lack of pop does limit him as far as being a high-level defender or shot blocker.

"Boozer's highlight reel might not look as flashy as some other guys on this list, but production is production. Players like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were all underdrafted because of that reasoning. At some point, dominating at a young age against better competition means more than jumping out of the gym. Boozer has been the best college player in this class, and one of the youngest. He will be the best NBA player too."

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Outside of Boozer, Dybantsa and Peterson, Noh sees Houston's Kingston Flemings and Illinois' Keaton Wagler ahead of UNC's Caleb Wilson and Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. While Wilson has been out due to injury, the Razorbacks' star was impressive in the SEC tournament.