Will Duke's Dariq Whitehead, Dereck Lively II go in the 1st round of the 2023 NBA Draft? The latest on the Blue Devils draft prospects

Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively will expect to hear their names called out in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday. Duke has the chance to continue a rich tradition of producing two or more first-round picks for the 11th time in 12 years.

Last year, the Duke Blue Devils had five players drafted and even supplied the No.1 draft pick and NBA Rookie of the Year, Paolo Banchero. In 23 of the last 25 drafts, Duke has had at least one player selected.

Dereck Lively got a green room invite to attend the ceremony with his family, and that's usually a good indicator that he's seen as a potential first-round pick. While Dariq Whitehead's stock has fallen somehow, he's still expected to be picked in the first round.

The two helped Duke win the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the injury curse struck, and the Blue Devils were dumped out of the NCAA Tournament by the Tennessee Volunteers in the Round of 32.

Whitehead plummets and Lively rises

There's a rivalry being played out on draft night that most people are not aware of: that of the program with the most first-round picks in history. With Kentucky standing in first (57), Duke and the University of North Carolina are tied with 53 apiece.

When Whitehead and Lively are called on Thursday night, Duke will go ahead of the Tar Heels to stand alone in second place.

Dereck Lively is being projected as a top 10 pick, and the NBA draft combine only served to push him higher in the pecking order. He wasn't always predicted to go that high, with some placing him as low as No. 20 two months ago.

Dariq Whitehead is a dominant, physical force of nature, mostly so before his foot injuries. NBA teams will be banking on his immense potential upside rearing its head in the future.

He's the second youngest player in this draft class, but he just had his second foot surgery and that might be cause for concern for the future. Teams are wary of players who are injury-prone. Teams like to protect their investment, and that might explain why his stock has slipped.

ESPN has him being No. 24 pick by the Sacramento Kings. He shot 42.9% from deep last season even after coming back from injury. According to Stats Perform, Whitehead shot 24-for-48, which is 50.0% from NBA 3-pointer range distance.

There were concerns about his explosiveness among NBA teams post-injury, which might explain his cautious draft projection.