Captivating 2024 WNBA draft lottery pick went off the board Friday when UConn guard Paige Bueckers announced she will return to college next season.While we await the decisions of two other lottery locks who have a season of college eligibility left -- Iowa guard Caitlin Clark and Stanford forward Cameron Brink -- it's worth noting where Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson stands.
She missed eight games in November and December with a leg injury but has played every game since Dec. 19 and now projects to be the No. 3 pick in the draft. Jackson is the highest player on ESPN's draft board who has no college eligibility left. She exercised the COVID-19 waiver from 2020-21 to play this season, her fifth in college and second at Tennessee.
If players such as Clark and Brink return to school, Jackson might be the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever. If so, she would be the third Tennessee player -- following Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999 and Candace Parker in 2008 -- to be selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft.
Jackson is averaging 18.9 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Lady Vols (16-9). Her mobility and versatility at 6-foot-2 should allow her to play different positions and defend at a high level in the WNBA.
Trades since our most recent mock draft in January have shaken up the order of the first round. The Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm, who missed the playoffs last season and were slated to pick third and fourth via December's lottery, traded their first-round picks.
Now the Los Angeles Sparks will pick twice in the top four -- at Nos. 2 and 4 -- while the Chicago Sky move in to pick at No. 3. The Sky also will pick at No. 8.
Here is the latest look at the first round, noting which players have another season of eligibility:
1. Indiana Fever: Caitlin ClarkIowa | point guard | 6-foot-0 | senior
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron BrinkStanford | power forward | 6-foot-4 | senior
3. Chicago Sky: Rickea JacksonTennessee | power forward | 6-foot-2 | senior
4. Los Angeles Sparks: Kamilla CardosoSouth Carolina | center | 6-foot-7 | senior.
5. Dallas Wings: Aaliyah EdwardsUConn | power forward | 6-foot-3 | senior
6. Washington Mystics: Angel ReeseLSU | power forward | 6-foot-3 | senior
7. Minnesota Lynx: Nyadiew PuochAustralia | small forward | 6-foot-3
8. Chicago Sky: Alissa PiliUtah Utes | power forward | 6-foot-2 | senior
9. Dallas Wings: Georgia AmooreVirginia Tech | point guard | 5-foot-6 | senior.
10. Connecticut Sun: Jacy SheldonOhio State | shooting guard | 5-foot-10 | senior
11. New York Liberty: Charisma OsborneUCLA Bruins | shooting guard | 5-foot-9 | senior
12. Atlanta Dream: Elizabeth KitleyVirginia Tech | center | 6-foot-6 | senior.
