Where ESPN's latest NBA mock draft projects Malachi Moreno

We’re inching closer and closer to the May 27th NBA Draft withdrawal deadline for college players. And the mock drafts are flying off shelves because of it.

A big one dropped on Tuesday morning when ESPN’s Jeremy Woo unveiled his latest 60-pick projection for next month’s draft following the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. A couple of Kentucky Wildcats were listed in the two-round mock, but there’s only one who matters for the next college season. Woo currently has freshman center Malachi Moreno going in the second round to the LA Clippers with the 36th overall pick.

Most mock drafts from major publications are trending towards Moreno landing somewhere in the second round if he elects to keep his name in the draft. All three of CBS Sports’ draft experts (Adam Finkelstein, Cameron Salerno, and Gary Parrish) kept Moreno out of their first-round mocks from Monday, and the same goes for Raphielle Johnson and Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports is among the few who continue to believe Moreno can be a first-rounder.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope needs Moreno back in Lexington next season. Losing his starting center this deep into the offseason would not be great for the outlook of the Wildcats’ 2026-27 campaign. That being said, a return still feels more likely than not. Moreno has a little over a week to go before he has to make a final decision. For more on his draft decision, check out Jack Pilgrim’s latest intel on KSR+.

Want more Kentucky basketball intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard and House of Blue, the most vibrant message board communities in BBN, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Big ESPN mock draft update today with the latest coming out of combine week and a big month ahead:https://t.co/5SmioTwVFT

— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 19, 2026

Looking elsewhere at Woo’s ESPN mock, we see that he has sophomore big man Jayden Quaintance going to the San Antonio Spurs with the 20th overall pick. His draft range continues to trend as a post-lottery first-round selection. Quaintance checked in at 6-foot-9, 253 pounds at the Combine with a wingspan just a smidge over 7-foot-5. Slotting him next to Victor Wembanyama sure would be fun to watch. JQ’s health is still a major question mark, though.

“Quaintance remains one of the biggest wild-card picks in this class, with teams waiting to learn more about the health of his knee,” Woo wrote. “Though he looked explosive and in good shape at his pro day, several NBA observers in the stands noted that he appeared to be favoring his right leg.”

And then there’s Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic, who would be a major Kentucky target if he were to remove his name from the draft pool. Woo has the sharpshooter wing going in the second round to the Chicago Bulls with the 38th overall pick. Kentucky guard Otega Oweh was not listed by Woo, but his stock will naturally rise after a handful of players projected to get drafted end up coming back to college.