Where the latest mock draft churn pegs Notre Dame fast-rising NBA prospect Blake Wesley

Notre Dame students made a request of Blake Wesley as he toed the free throw line late in Wednesday night’s win over North Carolina State.

“One more year!” they chanted, their chorus echoing through Purcell Pavilion.

It’s the latest reminder the secret is out and has been for several weeks. Wesley, Notre Dame’s fast-rising freshman guard, has emerged as a legitimate NBA prospect who is being discussed as a possible first-round pick in the 2022 draft. He also has an NIL deal with sports digital collectible NFT company Candy Digital as part of its inaugural college basketball edition, which features him and four other projected first-rounders or lottery picks.

PROMOTION: Sign up for $1 for first year and receive a free Blue & Gold Founders Club hat

All told, he’s a commodity who will have a decision to make after the season. From Notre Dame’s perspective, it has all come together faster than expected for a player ranked 99th in his class, per the On3 Consensus. Wesley, a South Bend native who played at Riley High School, chose Notre Dame in November 2020. He was the No. 25 shooting guard and No. 3 player in Indiana in the 2021 cycle.

 The 6-5, 185-pound Wesley’s athleticism, burst, scoring ability and fearlessness make themselves evident most nights — including in the Dec. 11 contest against always-talented Kentucky.

Wesley is averaging 15.0 points per game, which ranks second among Irish players, and shooting 43.0 percent from the field. He’s making 32.4 percent of his three-point attempts while averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He ranks second among ACC freshmen and fourth among major-conference freshmen in scoring.

What does that all mean for his NBA stock? Here’s a look at where Wesley is appearing in recent mock drafts and top prospects lists.

On3: No. 14 overall

“His confidence is through the roof; as a freshman, he wants the ball to make the play,” On3 national college basketball analyst Jamie Shaw wrote. “Notre Dame seems to be at its best when the ball is in Wesley’s hands in the half-court. He makes great reads out of the pick and roll and can create shots for himself and others as a primary initiator.

“His pull-up jump shot is confident, and he elevates high with a soft touch. The three-point shot is streaky, but he can confidently get into it off the bounce. He needs to get stronger. His length, competitiveness, and quick-twitch give him a high upside as a defender.”

RELATED

• How a position switch put ‘ball magnet’ Brandon Joseph on the path to Notre Dame

• Visitor Preview: Notre Dame hosting massive recruiting weekend for ‘prospect day’

Shaw also highlighted Wesley as one of four freshmen ranked outside the 2021 top 25 who could be drafted this year.

“Wesley has opened scout’s eyes with his comfort and confidence in creating offense,” Shaw wrote. “At 6-5 with a wingspan approaching 7-feet, Wesley has stepped up as an initiator for the [13-6] Notre Dame team. He will need to smooth out the jump shot, but for the draft, he projects as a plus defender in time.”

SB Nation: No. 11 overall, Minnesota Timberwolves

“Wesley is a crafty ball handler who has shown some stunning scoring flashes in the pick-and-roll,” SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell wrote. “He has good burst getting downhill, can utilize his length for finishing around the rim, and has unleashed an impressive floater. While his scoring efficiency at the rim has been a tad underwhelming (53 percent, per T-Rank), he’s been awesome on mid-range pull-ups and has mostly been around the mid-30s from three.

“Wesley’s shot creation ability feels like it’s among the best in the class at this point, but he’ll need to make serious strides making passing reads to fully leverage it. Wesley this high is my biggest hot take right now, so we’ll see if he continues to be this enticing as the year goes on.”

ESPN: No. 21 overall, Houston Rockets

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have Wesley as the ninth guard and 12th freshman in their mock. If Wesley declares for the draft and stays in, he would be Notre Dame’s first one-and-done in program history.

The Athletic Big Board: No. 15

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie ranks Wesley as the No. 15 prospect and No. 7 guard or wing in the draft.