Gonzaga's Davis Fogle, Massamba Diop appearing in way-too-early 2027 mock drafts

Jun. 25—Gonzaga has now gone two years without a Sweet 16 appearance or NBA draft pick — droughts that probably felt inconceivable during a nine-year run when Mark Few’s program didn’t miss the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and churned out 12 total NBA selections.

The Zags hope to break both dry spells next year and NBA analysts forecasting next year’s draft class already think GU is in a strong position to have at least one selection — if not multiple — when the draft comes back around next June.

Gonzaga’s Davis Fogle and Massamba Diop both appeared in way-too-early mock drafts published by national media outlets hours after Wednesday’s 2026 NBA Draft concluded at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Fogle’s name appeared most frequently, with multiple publications projecting the sophomore wing as either a first- or second-round pick in 2027. In Bleacher Report’s way-too-early mock draft, author Jonathan Wasserman projects Fogle to be picked No. 28 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. CBS Sports didn’t include Fogle in its first-round projections, but writer Adam Finkelstein highlighted Fogle as one of the returning college players “expected to make a jump” in 2026-27.

“Essentially, these would be players who weren’t viewed as first-round candidates this year, but could be on the verge of a breakout season,” Finkelstein wrote. “These are harder to forecast, but some of the players I’ll be watching most closely include Duke’s Dame Sarr, USC’s Alijah Arenas, NC State’s Paul McNeil, Texas’ Matas Vokietaitis, Miami’s Shelton Henderson, Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov, and Gonzaga’s Davis Fogle.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo is bullish on both Zags hearing their names called next June. Woo predicts Diop to go slightly higher than Fogle, penciling the 7-foot Arizona State transfer in at No. 41. Fogle is projected as the 49th overall pick in ESPN’s mock draft.

Fogle has been on the radar of NBA scouts since his senior year at Arizona Compass Prep and transformed into one of Gonzaga’s top scorers toward the end of his freshman campaign, averaging 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds. From Jan. 15, when Fogle cracked Gonzaga’s rotation against Washington State, to the season finale against Texas at the NCAA Tournament, the wing averaged 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds, making 50% of his shots from the field.

Diop comes to Gonzaga as one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal. The 7-foot-1, 230-pound center averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a freshman at Arizona State, ranking second in the Big 12 in the final category. A long, athletic rim protector who occasionally demonstrated the ability to play out on the perimeter, Diop chose Gonzaga over St. John’s, which reportedly prepared a substantial NIL offer to secure the transfer’s services.

Gonzaga’s last NBA draft pick came in 2024, when forward Anton Watson — a former Gonzaga Prep standout — was selected No. 54 overall by the Boston Celtics. The Zags had at least one player selected in every draft from 2021-24 and seven total draft picks during that stretch.