2026 Draft Model All-Americans
(header image by Thilo Latrell Widder)
The draft model All-American team is comprised of the highest-rated NCAA players at each position according to my DMX model who are not currently listed on mock drafts at ESPN or NBADraft.net. For more background on the model and the xVORP metric, check out this explainer.
Guards
Tyler Tanner / PG / Vanderbilt
HT: 6’0″
xVORP: .341
As a freshman at Vanderbilt, Tyler Tanner went his first 15 games (313 minutes played) before committing his first career turnover, compiling 31 assists and 35 steals over that span. Tanner finished the season with an impressive but of-this-earth 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which, along with his 3.2 steals per 40 minutes and 60% 2pt% as an 18-year-old in the SEC, makes him one of the model’s favorite returners in 2026. On the downside, Tanner is listed at just 6’0” and is very limited as a scorer, posting a measly 11 points per 40 to go along with a poor 3-point percentage, 3-point rate, and free throw rate. It could be argued that Tanner is more of a statistical anomaly than an NBA draft prospect, but with some improvement offensively—a real possibility given his age —his outlier abilities could be worth taking a shot on.
Markus Burton / PG / Notre Dame
HT: 6’0″
xVORP: .171
Markus Burton was one of college basketball’s most productive underclassmen over the last two seasons, but generated little draft buzz due to being 6-feet tall with questionable point guard skills. As this is a list of unranked prospects, it makes sense that some of these players have an obvious flaw to explain the disconnect between the model and scouting consensus, and in the case of Burton and Tanner, it is that they are short kings. While the model does factor in height, it still sees Burton as an above-replacement NBA player because the young man is a bucket. As a sophomore, Burton led all high-major NCAA players in usage rate, and his career 22.2 ppg is tied with draft model darling Bennett Stirtz for the most in my database of over 700 draft-eligible players. His mega usage comes alongside an ugly 48% career eFG%, though he supplements his efficiency by getting to the line and converting 83.5% of his free throws. Burton’s development towards becoming a more efficient offensive engine could determine whether he is a future pro or just a fun college guard.
Forwards
Alvaro Folgueiras / PF / Iowa
HT: 6’9″
xVORP: .334
Since DMX is a “one-size-fits-all” model that is trying to account for a wide variety of player prototypes, it benefits versatile players with an intersection of skills that are typically inversely related, i.e. rebounds and assists, or steals and blocks. This brings us to Alvaro Folgueiras, whose breakout sophomore campaign in 2025 was broadly strong statistically (his 8.3 Box Plus-Minus was top 10 among high-minute sophomores), but, more specifically, he was good at everything that the model values. Folgueiras combines rebounding (12.3 per 40) and passing (4.3 assists per 40, 1.4 A:TO), steals (1.9 per 40) and blocks (1.6 per 40), 3-point shooting (41.3% on 4.2 3PA/40) to go along with 2-point efficiency (61.6%) and free throw shooting (78.4%). Folgueiras did all of this as a 20-year-old and is actually a normal height for a power forward prospect at 6’9”. The only drawback is that he played at Robert Morris and did most of his damage against Quad 3 and 4 NCAA opponents, but we should have a clearer picture this year as Folgueiras will have the chance to test his skills against Big Ten competition.
Robert Miller III / PF / LSU
HT: 6’10″
xVORP: .244
From Robert Morris to Robert Miller, who flew below the radar as an efficient young freshman in the SEC. Miller’s box score production was modest, and he was not especially impactful, logging only 500 minutes for the 14-18 LSU Tigers, but he has enough positive statistical indicators (72.8 2P%, 1.2 A:TO) to go along with broader attributes like youth, size, and strength of schedule to project well in the model. Miller emerged throughout his freshman season, and, if he continues on that trajectory, could enter draft conversations with a breakout sophomore year.
Center
Amael L’Etang / C / Dayton
HT: 7’1″
xVORP: .101
The case for Amael L’Etang is relatively straightforward: skilled 7-footers don’t grow on trees. As a freshman at Dayton, L’Etang started the team’s final 15 games and posted solid all-around stats, most notably dishing out 3 assists per 40 minutes to only 2.5 turnovers, a rare feat for a young 7-footer. The towering Frenchman also flashed shooting potential, trying 4.7 3-pointers per 40 and connecting on 34% of them. Though slight in frame, players who look like L’Etang in terms of height, production, and versatility are all but guaranteed to get looks at the next level, and should probably be on draft boards, too.
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