USC’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo headline 2027 WNBA Draft class
The 2027 draft class has been eagerly anticipated since the moment the players in this group took the court as freshmen. On the first day of the 2023-24 college basketball season, Hannah Hidalgo put up 31 points on eventual champion South Carolina, while MiLaysia Fulwiley dazzled so thoroughly that she earned the acknowledgement of Showtime himself, Magic Johnson. On the other side of the country, JuJu Watkins dropped 32 points of her own to lead USC to an upset of No.
7 Ohio State. By the end of the season, two freshmen (Hidalgo and Watkins) were first-team All-Americans with another, Madison Booker, in the mix for the second team. Booker completed the sophomore trio on the first team in 2024-25 and has led Texas to back-to-back Final Fours.
The star power of the rising senior class is as good as any draft the WNBA has ever seen. For the teams that struck out in free agency, or the ones that might disappoint in the 2026 WNBA season, a promising silver lining awaits. Here is the first look at the 20 best college players in the 2027 WNBA Draft class.
1. JuJu Watkins | 6-2 guard | USC Unfortunately, the big board starts with a player who doesn’t have to declare for the 2027 draft. But if Watkins chooses to leave USC after three seasons, she is the no-brainer top pick.
The Trojans guard is a superlative scorer — she was second nationally as a freshman and third as a sophomore — who can create a shot against any defender. She is an excellent rebounder for her position and is a freight train in transition. She is also a terrifying defender who creates havoc off ball getting into passing lanes and as a shot-blocker in help.
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