Darryn Peterson has supposedly finished his career at Kansas, and it was anything but what he thought it was going to be. Peterson never thought he was going to deal with injuries and cramping problems that would keep him out nearly half the season, and then lose in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
While an official announcement about his future plans has not come out from Peterson, it has been known that he planned to head to the NBA after just one season with the Jayhawks. Even before his freshman season started, Peterson was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick, but after everything that transpired, it seems things have changed.
In a mock draft by Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, the NBA writer has Peterson not just dropping one spot from the No. 1 overall pick, but four, going No. 4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Is AJ Dybantsa a lock to Chicago? 🔒@KevinOConnor's latest mock draft if the lottery brings us chaos 👀
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 23, 2026
More: https://t.co/vLhoalKZCb pic.twitter.com/UeesqUGiNF
Darryn Peterson's drop in the NBA mock draft proves college basketball still matters
There is a reason that basketball players aren't drafted out of high school anymore, and Darryn Peterson has proven it with his one-and-done season at Kansas. Before the season, teams were ready to line up for Peterson, but now, after seeing how things went down with the cramping and injuries, his stock has taken a hit.
There were times when it felt like Peterson was load managing, even at the college level. NBA teams are going to want a player for more than just his talent on the court. Peterson at times didn't seem like a team player, and that showed towards the end of the season.
Dropping four spots in mock drafts is a lot, especially when it seemed like the No. 1 pick was a lock for Peterson. Now, he is falling behind not just BYU star AJ Dybantsa, but also UNC star Caleb Wilson, who is coming off a season-ending thumb injury, and Duke star Cameron Boozer.
Peterson has to sit back and wonder if things had gone differently, would he still be projected as the No. 1 overall pick? No one will ever know, but Peterson can help his stock with good performances during the draft process.
Add us as a preferred source on Google