The NBA Draft is less than one week away as teams begin to put the finishing touches on their draft boards.
After a few trades over the past few days have slightly rearranged this year's draft order, most franchises likely have an idea of who they will target in the class. Of course, there could always still be unforseen surprises, though, if multiple teams are higher on a certain prospect than the consensus.
One player who could sneak into the first round of this year's class after going under-the-radar in the pre-draft process is Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner spent five seasons with the Blue Jays, and was one of the most productive players in college basketball during the latter years of his NCAA career. In his final season at Creighton, the former 4-star recruit averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 65.3% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc on 1.7 attempts per contest.
After leading the Blue Jays to another NCAA Tournament appearance as a fifth-year senior, Kalkbrenner earned All-American honors. The standout big man was also recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year four times during his college career.
Kalkbrenner measured 7-foot-1 without shoes at the NBA Combine, making him the second-tallest player at the event alongside Hansen Yang. Kalkbrenner weighed 257 pounds and boasted a 7-foot-6 wingspan in addition to his height.
The potential first-round pick also turned in decent athletic testing, running the three-quarter sprint in 3.34 seconds to finish with a fast time than Danny Wolf and Khaman Maluach.
Think this remains one of my favorite draft prospect clips of the year from 7-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Legit think I pulled off my glasses and wiped them off while watching live.
Straight pump fake into attacking a closeout with a one-hand gather and finger roll finish lol. pic.twitter.com/OPp4bK3i9G
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) May 21, 2025
Kalkbrenner's 29-inch standing vertical also topped the leaps of Wolf, Maluach, Maxime Raynaud, Rasheer Fleming, Will Riley and others.
With good athleticism for a player of his size and stature to go along with incredible length, Kalkbrenner has the potential to be a strong defender at the next level.
NBA Draft on SI's most recent mock draft saw the 23-year-old go off the board at No. 30 overall to the LA Clippers. In Los Angeles, Kalkbrenner would have the opportunity to learn from talented center Ivica Zubac and practice catching lobs from James Harden.
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