"Really good college players can be second round or undrafted": Analyst Richard Hendrix weighs in on Auburn standout's NBA draft prospects

With the NBA draft approaching, many college players are opting to enter the professional ranks, including Auburn standout Tahaad Pettiford. The freshman guard will be testing the waters to assess his prospects among NBA teams while preserving his option to return to college.

Richard Hendrix, an SEC basketball analyst and former NBA player, weighed in on Pettiford's draft outlook during his appearance on "The Next Round" on Wednesday.

When asked about Pettiford's listed height of 6-foot-1, Hendrix expressed skepticism, suggesting that the guard might measure shorter at the NBA combine.

"I don't think that he's six foot one from what I've seen from the sidelines of the one game that I had for Auburn this past season. But he's in a tough situation," Hendrix said.

Tahaad Pettiford, who averaged 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a freshman at Auburn last season, is currently ranked as the No. 39 prospect in the ESPN mock draft.

Hendrix added that being projected as a second-round pick complicates Pettiford’s decision.

"So I think for Tahaad Pettiford, he has a tough decision to make. But this is just the landscape of college basketball and the professional ranks ... There's no correlation between a good college player and a good NBA prospect.

"A really good college player can be second round or undrafted, and you'll see in the top five picks, they're going to be younger players with a supreme level of athleticism and positional size."

Hendrix concluded by saying that for a player Pettiford's size to get into the first round, it would be hard.

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Auburn coach Bruce Pearl discusses Pettiford's chances before the NBA combine begins

The NBA combine is scheduled to begin May 11 and Tahaad Pettiford is expected to participate in the event. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl discussed the New Jersey native's chances to stay in the NBA draft.

"The lottery will come out before the combine, so we'll know who's drafting 20 through 30," Pearl said, via 247Sports. "We'll have an idea going into Chicago, where Tahaad will play in the combine, to see who's drafting 20 through 30 — if there's some interest for a smaller point guard among those ball clubs."

Even if Pettiford decided to return to school, Pearl mentioned that he would be happy for him either way. Keyshawn Hall, a UCF transfer who committed to the Tigers this offseason, also decided to move forward with the NBA Draft process, but he has since withdrawn his name.