The Hobby's Mock Draft: What Card Sales Say About the 2026 NBA Class
Every June, the NBA draft season gives us an influx of mock drafts. Scouts break down film, front office weigh overall team needs, and analysts debate ceilings, floors, and overall polish.
This is not one of these mock drafts.
Instead, we’re turning to a different group of evaluators as we consider the potential course of this year’s 80th edition of the NBA Draft: sports card collectors.
Using Card Ladder sales data from June 1-15 this year, we’re building a projected top 10 based largely on how the hobby values the draft’s biggest names.
This approach isn’t scientific, and it certainly isn’t how NBA teams make decisions. Card prices can be influenced by everything from card design and print runs to autographs and collector preferences. Needless to say, a player’s card market doesn’t necessarily reflect his floor, ceiling or overall fit within a franchise.
Still, there’s something interesting about watching thousands of buying decisions play out in real time. And in an era where prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have become part of the conversation, there’s a case to be made that collective opinion, especially when money’s attached, can tell us something about where people think the future is headed.
So for this exercise, we’re letting the hobby make the picks — at least the top 10 picks in this year’s first round.
The first few results probably won’t surprise anything, though some may question the order. BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke star Cameron Boozer, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson dominate both traditional draft projections and the pre-draft card market.
But beyond that, things could get interesting.
Will collectors prove to be better talent evaluators than the rest of us? Probably not. But once the 2026 NBA Draft is in the books, we’ll have a chance to compare what NBA teams valued versus what the hobby most coveted — and see how closely the two worlds align.
So here’s our predictions for the 2026 NBA Draft Top 10, according to recent card sales.
2026 NBA Draft
What the card market says about this year's class
Card Ladder sales data, June 1–15 · Average top-10 sale price vs. total cards sold
Source: Card Ladder · Data reflects sales from June 1–15, 2026
1. AJ Dybantsa, Brigham Young University
If this were a traditional mock draft, AJ Dybantsa would almost certainly be the first name off the board. And the card market agrees.
Dybantsa led all projected draft prospects with 1,493 sales between June 1 and June 15, easily the highest total in this year's class. His top five sales averaged $4,890, while his top 10 sales averaged $3,868.
The biggest sale was a Topps Garbage Pail Kids Red Foil Parallel that brought $7,100, followed by a 2025-26 Bowman Chrome U Treasured Talent Rookie 1/1 SSP at $5,600 and a Bowman Chrome Mojo Red Auto /5 First on Print at $4,250. Across multiple products, collectors consistently paid premium prices for Dybantsa's rarest cards.
That's hardly surprising. The BYU star enters the season as the consensus No. 1 prospect, and collectors appear convinced he's the player most likely to hear his name called first on draft night. At least for now, NBA scouts and the hobby seem to be reading from the same scouting report.
2. Darryn Peterson, Kansas
The race for the No. 2 spot was much closer than the battle for No. 1. But the Jayhawks’ Darryn Peterson ultimately earned the edge.
Peterson's top sales were similar to those of Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, with his top five cards averaging $1,422. What separated him from the pack was volume. Peterson generated 1,032 sales during the first half of June, comfortably ahead of Wilson's 802 and Boozer's 228.
His biggest individual sale was a Bowman U Now autograph relic numbered to 10 that brought $1,800. A player-worn relic autograph sold for $1,750, while several Bowman Chrome autograph parallels topped the $1,000 mark.
Collectors clearly aren't chasing a single Peterson card. They're buying across multiple products and price points.
There's also one sale that towers over the entire conversation: a one-of-one Bowman Chrome Dual Autographs SuperFractor featuring Peterson and AJ Dybantsa that sold for $18,300. While the card belongs to both players, it speaks to the market's confidence that Peterson belongs in the same conversation as the consensus No. 1 prospect.
Traditional mock drafts already place the Kansas star firmly near the top of the board. Based on card sales, collectors seem to agree that Peterson is the player most likely to follow Dybantsa in the draft.
3. Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
The battle for the No. 3 spot came down to Caleb Wilson and Cameron Boozer.
Boozer held a slight advantage in both average sale price and highest individual sale, but Wilson's market was simply much larger. Between June 1 and June 15, Wilson generated 802 sales compared to 228 for Boozer, a gap we couldn’t ignore.
Wilson's top five sales averaged $1,676, led by a Bowman Basketball Black Mojo Auto /10 that sold for $2,100 and a Bowman U Chrome Fire Refractor Auto that brought $2,000. Several other autograph cards landed between $1,500 and $1,755, showing strong demand for the North Carolina commit's premium cards.
Like the first two names on this list, Wilson is already projected near the top of most traditional mock drafts. And collectors appear to share that optimism.
While Boozer's biggest cards sold for slightly more — most mock drafts have Boozer going No. 3 after all — Wilson's combination of strong prices and significantly higher volume suggests the hobby views him as the more desirable prospect entering the 2026 draft.
4. Cameron Boozer, Duke
If this draft were based strictly on card prices, Cameron Boozer might have claimed for the No. 3 spot.
Boozer's top five sales averaged $1,774, the highest among the group competing behind AJ Dybantsa. His biggest sale, a Bowman Chrome Sapphire Red Auto /5, brought $3,550, while several other autograph cards topped $1,200.
What pushed Boozer to No. 4 was volume. Between June 1 and June 15, collectors purchased 228 Boozer cards, well behind Caleb Wilson's 802 and Darryn Peterson's 1,032. The premium cards sold extremely well, but the broader market wasn't nearly as active.
That's enough to drop Boozer one spot in this hobby-driven mock draft, though it hardly reflects a lack of confidence. Most traditional mock drafts place the Duke star comfortably inside the top four, and collectors clearly view his rarest cards as some of the most desirable in the class.
In Boozer's case, the card market wasn't lacking enthusiasm. It just wasn't as widespread as it was for the three players ahead of him.
5. Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas
Darius Acuff Jr. marks the first noticeable tier break in this hobby-driven draft.
While the four players ahead of him generated hundreds, and in some cases more than 1,000 sales during the first half of June, Acuff finished with 202 total sales. What kept him firmly inside the top five is how much collectors were willing to pay for his best cards.
His biggest sale, a 2025 Panini Signature Series Kaboom! Gold /10, brought $5,456, one of the highest individual sales among any prospect in the class. That helped push his average sale price to $1,538, a figure that compares favorably with several players projected ahead of him.
Multiple other Signature Series autos and parallels also sold between $700 and $876.
Traditional mock drafts generally place the Arkansas guard somewhere in the back half of the top 10. The card market appears a little more optimistic. While Acuff's collector base isn't as large as the four names above him, the buyers chasing his top cards have shown they're willing to spend at a level that suggests star potential.
6. Nate Ament, Tennessee
Nate Ament lands at No. 6 thanks to a combination of strong volume and one eye-catching sale at the top of the market.
During the first half of June, Ament generated 366 card sales, significantly more than Darius Acuff Jr.'s 202 and among the highest totals outside the draft's consensus top four. His biggest sale was a 2025-26 Bowman Chrome Prospects Superfractor 1/1 that brought $2,325.
The rest of Ament's top sales were far more modest, with several cards landing in the $325 to $500 range. Still, collectors showed consistent interest across multiple Bowman products, helping push his overall market activity well above many of his peers.
Most traditional mock drafts place the Tennessee forward in the middle of the lottery conversation, and the card market seems to agree. Ament may not have the top-end pricing of the players ahead of him, but collectors have made it clear he's firmly in the next tier of draft-night prospects.
7. Brayden Burries, Arizona
Brayden Burries doesn't have the blockbuster sale that jumps off the page, but his market shows a lot of consistency, which is something collectors often value just as much.
During the first half of June, 203 Burries cards changed hands, putting him in the same neighborhood as several prospects projected in the middle of the lottery. His biggest sale was a Bowman Chrome FireFractor Auto /3 that sold for $800, while four other autograph cards landed between $300 and $430.
What's notable is how tightly grouped those sales are. Rather than one card carrying the market, collectors showed steady interest across multiple low-numbered Bowman issues, suggesting confidence in Burries as a prospect rather than excitement over a single chase card.
That aligns fairly well with where most traditional mock drafts place the Arizona guard. He may not generate the same headlines as the players at the top of this list, but both NBA evaluators and collectors seem to view him as one of the safer bets to hear his name called early on draft night.
8. Braden Smith, Purdue
Braden Smith may be the biggest surprise in this entire hobby-driven mock draft. And I’ll say it right now: there’s no way Smith actually goes this high.
Most traditional mock drafts project the Purdue guard as a second-round pick, yet collectors have treated him more like a lottery prospect. During the first half of June, 344 Smith cards sold, a total that surpassed several highly regarded freshmen and one-and-done prospects.
His biggest sale was a Bowman U Now March Madness autograph game-ball relic that brought $550, while several other cards sold in the $350 to $500 range. These prices won't compete with the elite names in the class, but the volume is difficult to ignore.
This may all be a reflection of Smith's résumé. Unlike many prospects in this draft, collectors have watched him perform at a high level against major competition for multiple seasons.
Whether NBA teams value that production as highly as the hobby does remains to be seen. For now, though, card buyers are placing a much bigger bet on Smith than most draft analysts are.
9. Mikel Brown, Jr., Louisville
Mikel Brown Jr. lands at No. 9 thanks to a combination of healthy market activity and a remarkably balanced group of top sales.
During the first half of June, collectors purchased 307 Brown cards, putting him ahead of several prospects with flashier individual sales. His five biggest transactions all landed in a relatively narrow range between $305 and $450, led by a Bowman Chrome autograph numbered to 10 that sold for $450.
Rather than relying on a single blockbuster card, Brown's market appears to be supported by steady demand across multiple low-numbered Bowman Chrome and Bowman Sapphire releases. Collectors seem willing to buy in at a variety of price points, creating a solid foundation for his hobby profile.
Brown could be so lucky if he receives this level of consistency in his NBA playing career.
Most traditional mock drafts already place the Louisville guard comfortably in the top-10 conversation, so his appearance here isn't much of a surprise. The bigger takeaway is that Brown's market looks deeper than it looks flashy, a trait that helped him this spot in our collector-driven draft.
10. Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
Like Braden Smith a few spots earlier, Zuby Ejiofor is a player whose hobby ranking comes in noticeably higher than most standard mock drafts.
While many projections place the St. John's standout in the late first round or early second round, collectors pushed him into the top 10 of this card-driven exercise. During the first half of June, 140 Ejiofor cards sold, enough to separate him from several prospects with stronger draft buzz.
His top sale was a Bowman Chrome Sapphire Black Sapphire Auto /10 that brought $450. Four other low-numbered Bowman autos and parallels sold between $225 and $360, giving him an average top sale of $305.
What's interesting about Ejiofor's market is that it seems to reward production over projection. Unlike many of the younger prospects on this list, collectors have had plenty of opportunities to watch the 22-year-old forward compete at the college level.
Whether NBA teams ultimately value that résumé as highly as the hobby remains to be seen. But for now, card buyers have elevated Ejiofor into territory that most mock drafts reserve for more highly touted prospects.
The 2026 NBA Draft is just days away. By this time next week, we'll know whether the hobby had it right — or whether card collectors just proved they're better at spending money than evaluating talent. Either way, it should be fun to watch. And if Braden Smith somehow goes in the lottery, don't say the card market didn't warn you.
The Hobby Has Spoken. Now Let's See If the NBA Agrees.
The 2026 NBA Draft is just days away. By this time next week, we'll know whether the hobby had it right — or whether card collectors just proved they're better at spending money than evaluating talent. Either way, it should be fun to watch. And if Braden Smith somehow goes in the lottery, don't say the card market didn't warn you.