Mock Draft Monday 5/11 '26
Madiba Riddim
Madiba Riddim
- NBA Draft ‘26 Prospects
- NFL Building a Board
-YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s Madiba Riddim. Another dancehall tune that fits right with springtime.
On to the ball…
Kingston Flemings, G, Houston
Kingston Flemings is from San Antonio, Texas. Before college, he attended Brennan High School, where he averaged 20.4 points, 6.8 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game as a senior. Flemings was named the Gatorade Player of the Year of Texas and won MVP at the ‘25 Iverson Classic Showcase Game. Despite the accolades, Kingston Flemings was a bit overlooked as a prospect, earning 4-star recognition. With a bit of a chip on his shoulder, Flemings has had a great freshman season at Houston, averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He not only has plenty of quickness and sneaky strength while attacking the basket, but also possesses a nice mid-range game. After Kelvin Sampson lost LJ Cryer to the pros, the Houston Cougars have picked up right where they left off as the ‘25 March Madness runner-ups, thanks to the excellent play of Kingston Flemings. People forget how nasty Monta Ellis was when he first entered the NBA, which I think Kingston Flemings will revive.
Tounde Yessoufou, SF, Baylor
Tounde Yessoufou is from Cotonou, Benin, in West Africa. He began learning to play basketball around the age of 10 and moved to the United States for high school. While the game remained the same, his biggest challenge was learning English at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California. During his four years in varsity basketball, Yessoufou led his team to a 117-19 record, averaging nearly 30 points per game. By his senior year, not only had he mastered a new language, but he became the Cal-Hi Sports’ state record holder for most points in a career. Yessoufou passed former Duke great DeMarcus Nelson with over 3,500 points in high school. The 5-star recruit chose to play for Baylor. As a freshman last season, Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He set Baylor freshman season records for points and field goals made. Although his 3-point shooting was low at 29.3%, Yessoufou has good form that should improve with better shot selection. His athleticism is off the charts as he looks almost identical to Anthony Edwards in the open floor.
Keaton Wagler, SG, Illinois
Keaton Wagler is from Shawnee, Kansas. A four-star recruit out of Shawnee Mission Northwest, Wagler led the Cougars to back-to-back state championships. In his senior season last year, Wagler averaged 18.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Slightly overlooked among this freshman class to start the year, he decided to play for Illinois, and the 6’6” wing player took the Big Ten by storm. He was awarded the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, averaging 17.9 points with 4.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Perhaps his best game of the year came in Illinois’ upset win over Purdue, where the freshman phenom scored 46 points and drilled nine 3-pointers. That was the most points scored by a single player in a road win over a Top 10 opponent in AP poll history and sets a new Illinois freshman scoring record. To me, his game reminds me of a slightly taller version of CJ McCollum.
Koa Peat, PF, Arizona
Koa Peat is from Chandler, Arizona. The youngest of seven, Koa Peat, comes from a big sports family. His father, Todd Peat, played in the NFL for 6 seasons as an offensive lineman. His older brother, Andrus Peat, played football at Stanford and is still playing in the NFL after 11 seasons. Koa Peat attended Gilbert Perry High School, where he won the state basketball championship all four years, earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Arizona his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. He also competed for Team USA’s junior national teams, winning the 2023 USA Basketball Male Player of the Year after helping the USA win three gold medals. A 5-star recruit, Peat averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game at Arizona last season. The 6’8” power forward was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and won the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament West Region. Peat has plenty of potential to be a menace on the offensive glass and already has a smooth mid-range game for a teenager. His game is fairly similar to a young Juwan Howard when he was on the Fab Five at Michigan.
Tarris Reed Jr., C, UConn
Tarris Reed Jr. is from St. Louis, Missouri. He finished his high school hoops at Link Year Prep Academy, where he participated in both the Iverson and Jordan Brand Classics. His first stop in college was at Michigan. As a freshman with the Wolverines, Reed Jr. served as a bench big man, averaging 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and a block per game. He took over a starting role as a sophomore, with his numbers increasing to 9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Tarris Reed Jr. decided to transfer to UConn in ‘24, where his role shifted back to coming off the bench. He embraced his new role on the Huskies as he was named the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year with 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. As a senior last season, Tarris Reed Jr. earned the starting center role and became even more impactful. He averaged 14.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game while taking home the 2026 NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding Player. The 6’11” center was unbelievable in March last season, saving his best for last. While he doesn’t have crazy above-the-rim talent, Reed Jr. is a hard worker that exceeds on blocks of the low post at both ends of the floor. I think he can have an NBA career similar to Charles Oakley.
Building A Board ‘27
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Arch Manning is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Everybody knows the Manning family, as they are football royalty. Arch Manning is the son of Cooper and grandson of Archie. His uncles, Peyton & Eli, were clearly two of the best 21st-century QBs in the NFL. Due to his family, Arch Manning has been in the public spotlight since his high school days at Isidore Newman. In four seasons of high school football, young Manning went 34-9, compiling over 8,500 passing yards and 1,100 rushing yards while scoring 140 TDs. He broke the school records for passing yards and TDs set by his uncles. A top recruit nationally, Arch Manning decided to play for Texas. As a true freshman in ‘23, Manning redshirted as a backup QB. He would serve the same role behind Quinn Ewers in ‘24 as well, but would get more playing time as Ewers dealt with injuries. In two starts and some short-yardage situations, Manning threw for 939 yards and 9 TDs while rushing for 108 yards with 8 scores. This past season was Manning’s first opening day start with the Longhorns. He made it on the road against the defending National Champions in Ohio State. After a slow start to his season, Arch Manning played his best football in the 2nd half of the year. From late October on, Manning averaged 286 passing yards and 34 rushing yards per game, while throwing 14 TDs and scoring 5 more on the ground. One of his most impressive games last year was against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, where Manning’s wheels got him 155 rushing yards and two TDs. With another year of starting experience, the hope is that he can iron out some mechanics that have at times plagued his accuracy. Unlike Peyton and Eli, Arch Manning is much more of a dual-threat QB. He may never be a great pocket passer like his uncles, but Arch certainly has the skill set to adapt to the modern NFL.
Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Drew Mestemaker is from Austin, Texas. He attended Vandegrift High School, where he served as the team’s primary punter and backup QB his senior season in 2023. A zero-star recruit, Mestemaker walked on to play for North Texas in ‘24. In his first season with the Mean Green, Mestemaker preserved redshirt status by making just one start at QB in the First Responder Bowl. Although North Texas would lose to Texas State in the bowl, Mestemaker flashed arm talent, throwing for 393 yards and two scores. He took over the starting role at QB in ‘25 and won the Burlsworth Trophy for the best former walk-on in the nation. As a redshirt freshman in ‘25, Mestemaker led the nation in passing yards with 4,379 and threw for 34 TDs. Under the tutelage of Eric Morris, Mestemaker has become a pro prospect out of nowhere. Morris, considered a QB whisperer, has coached the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield at Texas Tech, along with Cam Ward and John Mateer at Washington State. Mestemaker and Morris have hitched their wagon together from North Texas to Oklahoma State this fall. The former high school punter has a cannon for an arm and makes throws from the pocket very similar to a young Aaron Rodgers before all the ayahuasca retreats.
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
CJ Carr is from Saline, Michigan. He comes from a big-time football family: his grandfather, Lloyd Carr, was a former Michigan HC, his father, Jason Carr, played for Michigan, and his brother, Tommy Carr, will be a freshman QB for the Wolverines this upcoming season. At Saline High School, CJ Carr was a three-time 1st Team All-State QB. A 4-star recruit, Carr landed with the Fighting Irish in ‘24. After redshirting his freshman season, Carr took over the Notre Dame starting job in ‘25. Making all 12 starts, Carr had a 66.7% completion percentage, throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 TDs with only 6 INTs. He’ll enter the ‘26 season with something to prove as he’ll be without the best backfield in College Football now that Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are in the pros.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
Julian Sayin is from Carlsbad, California. As a senior at Carlsbad High School, Sayin was a unanimous 5-star recruit and the nation’s top QB of the 2024 recruiting class. He finished his high school playing days throwing for 7,832 yards and 85 TDs with just 10 INTs. Initially, in December of ‘23, Sayin signed on for early enrollment at Alabama. However, after Nick Saban retired in January ‘24, he decided to hit the transfer portal before ever playing a down of college football. Joining Ohio State, the freshman was a backup for Will Howard in ‘24. Along the way to a National Championship, Sayin got some playing time in blowouts. As a sophomore in ‘25, Sayin took over the starting role, and the offense didn’t miss a beat. His 77% completion percentage was the best in the nation as he threw for 3,610 yards and 32 TDs with just 8 INTs. Although he was good enough to earn a Heisman finalist status, Sayin struggled down the stretch last season against Ohio State’s toughest competition. Half of his interceptions last season came in the 3-game stretch to close the year against Michigan, Indiana, and Miami. That said, with another year of throwing to Jeremiah Smith, expect Julian Sayin to have a monster ‘26 season.
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
