USC’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo headline 2027 WNBA Draft class

USC’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo headline 2027 WNBA Draft class

The 2027 draft class has been eagerly anticipated since the moment the players in this group took the court as freshmen. On the first day of the 2023-24 college basketball season, Hannah Hidalgo put up 31 points on eventual champion South Carolina, while MiLaysia Fulwiley dazzled so thoroughly that she earned the acknowledgement of Showtime himself, Magic Johnson. On the other side of the country, JuJu Watkins dropped 32 points of her own to lead USC to an upset of No. 7 Ohio State.

By the end of the season, two freshmen (Hidalgo and Watkins) were first-team All-Americans with another, Madison Booker, in the mix for the second team. Booker completed the sophomore trio on the first team in 2024-25 and has led Texas to back-to-back Final Fours.

The star power of the rising senior class is as good as any draft the WNBA has ever seen. For the teams that struck out in free agency, or the ones that might disappoint in the 2026 WNBA season, a promising silver lining awaits. Here is the first look at the 20 best college players in the 2027 WNBA Draft class.

1. JuJu Watkins | 6-2 guard | USC

Unfortunately, the big board starts with a player who doesn’t have to declare for the 2027 draft. But if Watkins chooses to leave USC after three seasons, she is the no-brainer top pick. The Trojans guard is a superlative scorer — she was second nationally as a freshman and third as a sophomore — who can create a shot against any defender. She is an excellent rebounder for her position and is a freight train in transition. She is also a terrifying defender who creates havoc off ball getting into passing lanes and as a shot-blocker in help. Watkins’ main weakness is that her jumper is a little inefficient, but when she gets going, she is literally unstoppable. She also has a knack for rising to the moment, as her crosstown rival UCLA has learned on more than one occasion.

2. Madison Booker | 6-1 guard/forward | Texas

Booker is a worthy top pick if Watkins waits till 2028. She is a dominant scorer and has an old-school power game. Her midrange jumper is a thing of beauty. other than an anomalous performance in the 2026 national semifinals. Booker’s stint at point guard during her freshman season has turned her into a really good playmaker, and she does not turn the ball over. She is also active defensively and creates takeaways without fouling. Booker has been a great leader in her college career and has two conference tournament titles and two Final Four appearances to show for it. It’s possible that Texas’ offensive system is even holding Booker back from being more explosive if she were allowed to expand her shot diet.

3. Hannah Hidalgo | 5-6 guard | Notre Dame

Size is the only thing working against Hidalgo because the production arguably outpaces everyone else in this class. She is the preeminent ball hawk in college basketball, often simply deciding to take possessions away from opponents. Dribbling around her is precarious, let alone passing. She puts a lot of pressure on the rim, finishes at creative angles inside — she made 69.5 percent of her field-goal attempts in the restricted area — and is a good free-throw shooter. Hidalgo’s 3-point jumper somewhat abandoned her last season, but she is still at 33 percent from distance for her career. Hidalgo is a pretty complete player who changes the scouting report on both ends of the court. Her success at the international level suggests she can keep doing this in the WNBA, but she slots in at third just because of the height/length of Watkins and Booker.

4. Mikaylah Williams | 6-0 guard/forward | LSU

Williams is a professional scorer. Seimone Augustus says the LSU senior reminds her of herself, and that is the highest praise for a bucket-getter. Williams resembles Augustus — the former Tigers great and current assistant — in her fondness for the midrange, but she is efficient everywhere on the court: 79.6 percent in the restricted area, 47.8 percent outside the paint and 42 percent on 3s. Combine that with some high-level playmaking, and there is a lot to like about Williams. Her defense has been inconsistent, though the Tigers haven’t had great fundamentals on that end as a team. It’s easy to imagine Williams becoming a solid team defender in the WNBA with her size and smarts.

5. Clara Strack | 6-5 center | Kentucky

It still feels like Strack is scratching the surface of her potential. She is an outstanding shot-blocker and rim protector who will greatly benefit from having an extra foul to use in the WNBA. She can post up or face up and has a great handle for a big, likely because of a late growth spurt that transformed her from a guard to a center. Strack needs to improve her handling of physicality, but she is so skilled and keeps getting better.

6. MiLaysia Fulwiley | 5-10 guard | LSU

The most polarizing prospect in this draft. Fulwiley is a wizard with the ball and a blur in the open court. She also has far too much confidence in her own abilities and tries to attack defenses one-on-too many. Her defensive effort is casual at best; her form on closeouts is almost comical. But there are so few players who can put up 20 points with ease. Fulwiley is rare in so many ways. She needs the right fit and a coach who can coax out the best parts of her game. Then again, if Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey haven’t been able to consistently, maybe there isn’t reason to believe she can do so at the WNBA level.

7. Ashlyn Watkins | 6-3 forward/center | South Carolina

Watkins hasn’t played a game since tearing her ACL in January 2025. She has never been a box-score stuffer. But she is an excellent defensive player who is scheme-versatile. She protects the paint and is skilled enough to cover perimeter players. Watkins often played next to another big at South Carolina and has developed good hi-lo passing ability, but she should be able to translate as a center as well with her athletic finishing around the rim. It’ll be interesting to see if the Gamecocks try to stretch out her offensive game during her senior season. Assuming there are no lingering legal or health issues, Watkins should benefit from the strong pedigree of South Carolina bigs.

8. Tessa Johnson | 6-1 guard | South Carolina

Gamecocks guards have far less pedigree, but there is a lot to love about Tessa Johnson. She can shoot the lights out and is a career 44 percent 3-point shooter. She attacks closeouts well and never stands still on offense. Her movement is always creating opportunities for herself and her teammates. Johnson was a little miscast as a three in the 2025-26 season and that showed up defensively. She’ll be a two-guard in the WNBA and has the length and quickness to cover that position. Johnson should have a chance to put up some impressive tape playing next to Agot Makeer on the wing during her senior season.

9. S’Mya Nichols | 6-0 guard | Kansas

Kansas plays in a weaker conference and has competed in only two NCAA Tournament games in Nichols’ tenure, giving her a lower profile than many other players in this class. But Nichols put up 22 points on Watkins’ Elite Eight USC team as a freshman and was unfazed by the moment. Nichols is a three-level scorer and foul-drawing machine. She led the NCAA in free-throw attempts each of the last two seasons and has made 83.8 of her foul shots in her career. She’s a great 3-point shooter (40.5 percent but on low volume) and playmaker, at least offensively. Nichols hasn’t made much of an impression defensively, though she is asked to do a lot for the Jayhawks on the other end. If she had played in more meaningful games, Nichols would be higher on this list. She needs a postseason run — healthy Jaliya Davis should help Kansas get there — to prove that she isn’t a good-stats, bad-team player.

10. Talaysia Cooper | 6-0 guard | Ole Miss

It’s hard to get a good read on Cooper, because she played limited minutes at South Carolina and then played in a unique system at Tennessee. What we do know about the future Ole Miss guard is that she is strong, can overpower defenders in the paint even if she doesn’t always get to the rim, has a workable jump shot and can be disruptive defensively. Cooper needs the Cotie McMahon treatment — put the ball in her hands on a high volume of possessions and let her cook. If Cooper isn’t up to the challenge, her time in Oxford, Miss., will be clarifying. Otherwise, she could find herself as a first-round pick, just like McMahon.

11. Oluchi Okananwa | 5-10 guard | Maryland

Okananwa causes havoc. She creates turnovers and is indefatigable running the floor. Okananwa draws fouls, crashes the offensive glass and finishes her layups. She proved at Maryland that she can sustain her pace as a starter, not just a sixth woman. If her shooting were better — she is below 30 percent from 3-point range for her career – she would be in the conversation with the other shooting guards in this draft. If the jumper doesn’t come around, she probably projects as a bench player in the pros, but one who adds value whenever she comes into the game thanks to her energy level.

12. Chloe Kitts | 6-2 forward | South Carolina

I’ll repeat what I said about Kitts in this space last season and hope that player still exists after her torn ACL. Kitts likes to get the ball in the paint or close to it and looks to score. She is physical, a strong screener and a good rebounder. She can defend fours but is not positionally versatile on that end. She needs to improve her passing; she wasn’t asked to be much of a facilitator before, but South Carolina has more scoring options now with Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson and Agot Makeer. The Gamecocks will have a bit of a frontcourt puzzle with both Kitts and Edwards best at the four; Kitts might have to take a step back for her All-America teammate.

13. Addy Brown | 6-2 forward | transfer portal (Iowa State)

Brown is a wonderful connective player. She rarely looks for her own offense but scores when the defense forces her to and makes everyone around her better. She is a great passer, particularly in hi-lo situations. She rebounds the ball and can bring it up as a point forward. She is a good shooter from long range and is a tough, smart defender. Brown probably needs to improve her individual shot creation to play the three in the WNBA, as she is a little undersized to be a power forward, even if that’s her college position. However, her talent should shine regardless of the position. Brown should pick a school that puts the ball in her hands more often so she can show off her full skillset.

14. Audi Crooks | 6-3 center | transfer portal (Iowa State)

Maybe this is too low for the multi-time All-American, but the WNBA is trending away from back-to-the-basket centers, and Crooks doesn’t have a lot of versatility. Oklahoma center Raegan Beers didn’t even get drafted, and she is far more versatile than Crooks. Crooks posted up on 466 possessions in the 2025-26 season compared to 17 total pick-and-rolls. We know she can seal and finish over either shoulder. It’s time to see if her footwork translates to screen-setting and rolling. She also has to show something — anything — on defense. Crooks makes this list because her touch and scoring ability are too elite not to. Her transfer decision will reveal a lot about her future potential.

15. Kymora Johnson | 5-7 guard | transfer portal (Virginia)

Kymora Johnson has some physical limitations, but they are not readily apparent in the quality of her play, at least on offense. She can get to her spots and generates good looks from 3-point range and in the paint. Her floater isn’t great, but Johnson finishes well at the rim. She is an accurate, high-volume 3-point shooter, particularly good from the corners, and still managed to lead the ACC in assists. Virginia had to protect Johnson on defense with Paris Clark taking the tougher assignments, and that’s where Johnson will have to prove herself. If she joins South Carolina, she could benefit from the Gamecocks defense boot camp like Te-Hina Paopao and Ta’Niya Latson before her. At the very least, Johnson can be a microwave guard off the bench.

16. Delaney Thomas | 6-3 forward/center | Duke

Thomas is a supremely solid forward. Duke needs her at center even though she is more of a power forward, but she still anchored an excellent defense with her communication, rotations and verticality in the paint. She is a really good play finisher in transition, on putbacks and as a roller. The upside may not be particularly high, but Thomas is a good athlete and is a big who could stay on a WNBA roster for a decade.

17. Sayvia Sellers | 5-7 guard | Washington

Sellers has some real flair. She has a bag of step-backs, crossovers and side-steps to generate 3-pointers, and she makes 35 percent of them on good volume. She was one of 16 players nationally to average at least 18 points and 3.9 assists, showing a good balance of scoring and facilitating. Like most non-Hidalgo small guards, the defense has been a challenge for Sellers. However, Washington had a good defense, and she was a part of it. If she can lead the Huskies to Big Ten title contention — or at least comfortably in the second tier behind USC, Iowa and Michigan — and a second-weekend NCAA Tournament run, her outlook will improve.

18. Kaylene Smikle | 6-0 guard | transfer portal (Maryland)

Smikle gets buckets, averaging 17.2 points per game for her career. She gets in the lane, she hits 3s and she makes a lot of free throws. The main concern with Smikle is that she missed the majority of the 2025-26 season with a knee injury. A healthy season would go a long way to ease some of the concerns about Smikle.

19. Donovyn Hunter | 6-0 guard | UCLA

Hunter is a fascinating player. She doesn’t score or assist a ton, and her best trait is her defense, which is the less important side of the ball for a point guard, but she always contributes to winning. At Oregon State and TCU, Hunter went to three Elite Eights and won two conference regular-season titles and one conference tournament. Mark Campbell and Olivia Miles were effusive in their praise for Hunter as the heartbeat of the Horned Frogs, taking on all the assignments that no one else could or would. She is once again joining a team at UCLA where she will not be the primary ballhandler since Elina Aarnisalo is returning to the Bruins. Hunter’s value lies in being a big guard who knows how to run an offense and doesn’t make mistakes. Ideally, she showcases a little more pop in her senior season.

20. Khamil Pierre | 6-2 forward | NC State

I am admittedly not the biggest fan of Pierre’s game, though I do enjoy my own exercise of watching how many times Pierre passes during a game. Spoiler alert: You can often count using one hand. But Pierre is a double-double machine. She doesn’t give up the ball because she knows she can score, and score a lot. And she creates more opportunities to score because she is an excellent rebounder. But Pierre left Vanderbilt under strange circumstances and there is now an exodus from NC State. It’s possible she isn’t the best teammate, and that will damage her draft stock if she doesn’t create a better narrative in her senior season.

Also considered: KK Arnold (UConn), Mara Braun (Minnesota), Timea Gardiner (UCLA), Elif Istanbulluoglu (Louisville), Grace Slaughter (Missouri)

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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