3 Michigan Players Suddenly Look Like First-Round Locks in NBA Draft
Three University of Michigan stars are suddenly look like they're no-brainer first-round picks.
The 2026 NBA Combine is over, and now, it’s time for scouts and franchises to zoom in on their favorite player ahead of the NBA draft. One of the strongest teams representing players in the draft is Michigan . That’s no surprise, since the Wolverines took the national championship last season.
What’s cool for University of Michigan fans is that following the Combine, a whopping three players from the team are projected to go in round one of the draft this year. Of course, it’s sad to lose these players to the pros, but it’s exciting to see the kind of athletes the Michigan program is producing. In a mock out on Wednesday, May 20, Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports lays out his picks after the Combine.
“Beyond the measurements and testing, the conversations behind the scenes provide an illuminating look at where some of the top NBA Draft prospects are trending,” he states in the piece. Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second half of the 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game at the United Center on March 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) He has not one, not two, but three Michigan players going in the first round of the draft alone.
Those players are Aday Mara going at No. 8 to Atlanta, Yaxel Lendeborg going at No. 11 to the Warriors and Morez Johnson Jr.