“Ace Bailey dropped to 6?”, “Derrick Queen is so underrated”: College hoops fans dissect latest 2025 NBA mock draft

Recruits News posted an updated projected NBA draft lottery that had Ace Bailey at No. 6, to the surprise of fans. On Tuesday, the Instagram post sparked reactions across the college basketball world, with many expressing their thoughts about the projected lottery picks.

One of the biggest shockers for fans was the drop of Bailey, the dynamic forward who was previously a consensus top three pick.

“VJ Edgecombe rises to the top 3 in ESPN’s latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft 📈 Thoughts? 🤔,” Recruits News wrote.

Not everyone was thrilled with the rankings, and fans also reacted to the No. 12 player on the list, Derik Queen.

“Ace Bailey dropped to 6?!” a fan commented.

“Derrick Queen is so underrated,” another fan said.

The passionate responses showed how closely fans are following the 2025 draft class, which is loaded with top prospects.

“Might be unpopular opinion.. but Fears easily can rise to top 4,” another fan commented.

“Damn bro ace drop to 6??” a fan said.

“Ace dropping to six????” another fan said.

College hoops Fans dissect latest 2025 NBA mock draft - Image source: Instagram/recruitsnews

The draft is set for June 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Rutgers star Ace Bailey earns praise from NBA legend Carmelo Anthony

Rutgers standout Ace Bailey continues to draw national attention ahead of the 2025 NBA draft, and also received a major endorsement from one of the game’s greats. NBA Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony praised Bailey, highlighting the forward's work ethic and ability.

On May 26, Anthony expressed his thoughts on his game. Bailey had a standout freshman season with the Scarlet Knights, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on 45.8% shooting.

"I love Ace," Anthony said, via "Podcast P with Paul George." "His skill set and his will to get to a spot to work on certain stuff. He's relentless working on spots on the court."

Bailey’s performance earned him spots on the All-Big Ten Third Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. His 510 points placed him third on the program’s all-time freshman scoring list.

Anthony addded that Bailey’s overall game is “way far past” that of Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick. Flagg and Bailey have often been compared, being athletic forwards with strong two-way potential.

Anthony also suggested that Bailey was flying under the radar not because of lack of talent, but due to his similarities to past stars.

“We’ve seen Ace before,” Anthony said. “That’s why it’s not talked about like that. We’ve seen Ace, we’ve seen PG (Paul George), we’ve seen KG (Kevin Garnett), we’ve seen Melo.”

Paul George echoed the sentiment, saying that Bailey would be a much bigger story in this draft class if not for Flagg.

With NBA legends like Anthony and George backing him, Bailey’s stock could rise even higher.