WNBA mock draft: There's a new projected No. 1

WNBA talent evaluators have been scouting prospects for months. But the college players available in Monday's draft (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) had one last audition in the NCAA tournament.

It's better to emphasize the players' overall body of work versus what happened in the past couple of weeks. But strong performances in their final college postseason have been known to help players' draft stock.

In our latest WNBA mock draft, for example, TCU point guard Olivia Miles has moved to the top of the board. Miles projected as a lottery pick last season when she was eligible age-wise for the draft. Instead, she transferred to TCU from Notre Dame for her final college season in hopes of being an even more polished pro prospect.

She was at her best statistically in the NCAA tournament -- averaging 19 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists -- where the Horned Frogs lost to South Carolina in the Elite Eight.

Some might question whether the Dallas Wings, who have the No. 1 pick, will pair Miles with another young guard who handles the ball a lot, such as last season's WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. But those two highly talented players might also complement each other.

WNBA free agency is underway, so signings before draft day could change our first-round projections again as team needs are filled or revealed. But for now, here is our latest mock draft, which includes four players from UCLA's NCAA championship team.

1. Dallas Wings: Olivia Miles

TCU | point guard | 5-foot-10 | senior

Miles averaged a career-best 19.6 points this season as the Horned Frogs went 32-6 and won the Big 12 regular-season title. She had six triple-doubles this season, including one in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Her court vision is excellent. She made 73 3-pointers this season at TCU and last season at Notre Dame. With that kind of offensive arsenal, Miles could work well with Bueckers (and Arike Ogunbowale, if she stays in Dallas).

2. Minnesota Lynx: Awa Fam

Spain | center | 6-foot-4

Fam, who is averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds for Valencia in Spain, is just 19 with a ton of potential. It comes down to how quickly and how well coach Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx believe Fam can adjust to the WNBA and how high they believe her ceiling is, especially considering how well UCLA's Lauren Betts played her senior season. Betts has to be considered for this spot, too, if the Lynx pick a post player.

3. Seattle Storm: Azzi Fudd

UConn | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior

Fudd could still be picked No. 1, which is where we've had her in two previous mock drafts. But this could be a good landing spot for her as the Storm might retool with a younger group under new coach Sonia Raman.

Fudd was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2025 Final Four but didn't have as strong an NCAA tournament this season. After a career-high 34 points with eight 3-pointers in the second round, Fudd totaled just 31 points on 12-of-39 shooting (30.8%) in her last three games. She was 3-of-15 for eight points in the Huskies' national semifinal loss to South Carolina.

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Azzi Fudd drills the and-1 bucket from midrange

Azzi Fudd gets fouled and hits a tough midrange shot for UConn.

4. Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts

UCLA | center | 6-foot-7 | senior

Betts did nothing but help her draft stock during the NCAA tournament, a nice side benefit to winning the national championship. She is one of six Bruins seniors expected to be picked in this draft. Betts shot at least 60% from the field in all six NCAA tournament games, averaging 68.8%. She averaged 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 blocks and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Mystics already have size, but it's hard to see them passing on Betts if she's still available.

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UCLA routs South Carolina for first NCAA title

UCLA takes home the national title after a huge win over South Carolina.

5. Chicago Sky: Flau'jae Johnson

LSU | shooting guard | 5-foot-10 | senior

Johnson had ups and downs this season, but she has a lot of ability and might need to play against pros to start her next stage of development. She averaged 19.0 points and shot 52.4% in the Tigers' three NCAA tournament games. On the season, she shot a career-best 39.3% from behind the arc (48 of 122) and tied a career high with 89 assists. Her energy and defense are two other strong points.

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Emotional Flau'jae Johnson reflects on final game at PMAC as a Tiger

Following LSU's Sweet 16-clinching win, Johnson delivers a heartfelt reflection on her time in Baton Rouge, expressing gratitude for those who shaped her journey.

6. Toronto Tempo: Nell Angloma

France | small forward | 5-foot-11

Angloma is averaging 15.5 points and 5.6 rebounds for Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration (BMLA) in France's premiere league, BWL. She doesn't turn 20 until June and likely can play at the small forward or shooting guard spots in the WNBA. The Tempo won a coin toss and opted to pick first in this draft while letting the other expansion team, Portland, pick first in the expansion draft.

7. Portland Fire: Iyana Martin

Spain | point guard | 5-foot-8

Martin, who turned 20 in January, was part of the Spanish team that advanced to the EuroBasket championship game last summer. Despite her youth, she has a lot of experience playing at the professional level. She is averaging 14.8 points and 4.2 assists for Perfumerias Avenida in Spain's LF Endesa. In 2023, she was MVP of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

8. Golden State Valkyries: Gianna Kneepkens

UCLA | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior

Who will be the second Bruins player taken after Betts? It could be Kneepkens because of her most well-known skill: long-range shooting. She spent four years (with one injury redshirt season) at Utah before transferring to UCLA as a senior, a decision that worked out great for her and the national champion Bruins. Her scoring average dipped, as expected, with more talent around her. But Kneepkens still shot 42.9% from behind the arc (87 of 203). She finished her college career at 43.1% from 3-point range (335 of 777).

9. Washington Mystics: Cotie McMahon

Ole Miss | small forward | 6-foot | senior

McMahon will have to transition to be more of a perimeter player in the WNBA and improve her 3-point shooting. She has worked on that over the past two seasons. This year, after transferring to Ole Miss after three years at Ohio State, McMahon averaged a career-high 19.5 points and had a career-best 36 3-pointers. But she shot 28.6% from behind the arc. McMahon's physical style of play should translate well in the WNBA.

10. Indiana Fever: Raven Johnson

South Carolina | point guard | 5-foot-9 | senior

It appears Johnson helped her draft stock plenty as a senior because of the traits she showed: leadership, maturity and resilience. We saw those qualities throughout her career at South Carolina, but they were key in helping the Gamecocks reach the national championship game again and end UConn's unbeaten season. Johnson was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. She is very strong and can effectively guard a lot of different types of players.

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Raven Johnson scores her 1,000th career point

Raven Johnson pokes the ball free and lays in her 1,000th career point for South Carolina.

11. Washington Mystics: Gabriela Jaquez

UCLA | shooting guard | 6-foot | senior

If all someone saw of Jaquez was her national championship game performance -- 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and enough energy to have lit up the arena -- that alone would be reason to draft her. But we've watched her give this kind of effort for four seasons at UCLA. Her 13.5 points average and shooting percentages -- 53.9% from the field, 39% on 3-pointers and 86% on free throws -- as a senior were all career highs.

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Emotional Gabriela Jaquez reacts to UCLA's national title victory

UCLA's Gabriela Jaquez discusses her feelings following the Bruins winning their first NCAA women's basketball national championship.

12. Connecticut Sun: Kiki Rice

UCLA | point guard | 5-foot-11 | senior

Like her fellow UCLA seniors, Rice saved her best for last. She averaged 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals and shot 49% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 90.2% at the foul line. All those numbers were career highs. She also averaged 4.6 assists and showed so much poise in clutch situations, including her four free throws in the final 13 seconds that clinched UCLA's national semifinal win over Texas.

13. Atlanta Dream: Ta'Niya Latson

South Carolina | shooting guard | 5-foot-8 | senior

Latson's transfer from Florida State to South Carolina for her senior season worked out well. She helped lead the Gamecocks to the national championship game with a huge performance -- 16 points, 11 rebounds -- against UConn in the semifinals. She averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists this season and showed she could play South Carolina-style defense. One of the top guards, Latson could go several spots higher, but the Dream's system seems like it could be a good fit for her.

14. Seattle Storm: Marta Suarez

TCU | small forward | 6-foot-3 | senior

A native of Oviedo, Spain, Suarez played two seasons at Tennessee and two at Cal before going to TCU. But what she showed in her lone season in Fort Worth, Texas, might be enough to make her a first-round pick. Suarez averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds while hitting a team-best 84 3-pointers. Her most impressive NCAA tournament game was a 33-point, 10-rebound performance in TCU's Sweet 16 victory over Virginia.

15. Connecticut Sun: Madina Okot

South Carolina | center | 6-foot-6 | senior

South Carolina is still waiting to hear if Okot will receive an extra year of college eligibility from the NCAA. She has played just two years in the U.S. college system -- at Mississippi State last season and South Carolina this season -- after competing two years in college in her native Kenya. If she's granted another season, she will return to the Gamecocks, which would be good for her development. If not, she will have to learn more quickly in the WNBA, but she has the talent to do so. She averaged 12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks for the national runner-up Gamecocks.