’s early 2027 mock draft put JuJu Watkins at No. 1 overall, giving the USC star the top spot on a board that is still far from settled. The projection arrived while the WNBA Finals are still raging and just days before the 2026-27 NCAA season officially begins.
Watkins is back and healthy, and she is battling toward the Final Four this season with USC. That is why her name is already at the center of draft chatter: she is viewed as a beyond safe bet, even before the season has a chance to unfold.
The timing matters because the lottery has not taken place yet, so the exact order of the first few picks is still unclear. ’s list is only an early snapshot, and it comes before teams know exactly where they will sit in the first round.
Watkins is not the only player in the top five, either. Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, Kymora Johnson and Mikaylah Williams round out that group, with the Portland Fire projected to hold the fifth pick in ’s first-round order. That puts Portland in a spot where Williams would be a strong fit, but not because the team is chasing another guard.
The Fire are expected to have enough guard help already, and Carla Leite is likely to return even though she has not signed a new deal. That leaves the broader draft picture open to change, especially because teams will likely make moves before the order is final.
So Watkins can sit atop an early mock draft today and still see the board shift after the lottery and over the course of the season. For now, the projection says as much about her place in the game as it does about the uncertainty built into the draft itself.
