UConn’s Braylon Mullins Could Surprise in 2026 Draft Cycle

While flashy, high-flying players often dominate preseason big boards and mock drafts, things don’t often shake out that way come draft night.

In modern drafts, teams seem to be gambling on connective, high-feel and supplemental players more and more. Players that aren’t likely to star or offer 20 points per night, but are positive additive when on-court — scoring off-ball, making the right decision when they do get the ball and remaining disciplined on defense.

Even in the last handful of years, players like Kon Knueppel, Reed Sheppard, Anthony Black, Gradey Dick and more have drastically raised their stock relative to where it was in the preseason, largely by providing positive impact for their teams in numerous ways.

In the 2026 NBA Draft cycle, one of those players could very well be UConn’s Braylon Mullins. 

Coming in at No. 14 per RSCI, Mullins certainly wasn’t looked over recruit, eventually landing with Dan Hurley and the Huskies. At 6-foot-5, he’s primed to play a similar role to the others, being used as an off-guard or small-wing, scoring from long range and fitting in where he can elsewhere.

While he was highly-recruited, he's currently not thought of as a locked-in lottery pick by many. Oddly, his potential counterparts ranked similarly in their classes, with Knueppel ranking No. 14 in the 2024 RSCI, with Anthony Black ranking No. 14 and Gradey Dick ranking No. 16 in 2022. Sheppard was an exception, coming in at No. 33 in his own class.