It's never too early to take a look at who will go the highest in the professional draft at the end of the season–whether it's the NFL Draft, the NBA Draft or the WNBA Draft. In this year's draft class, there is a good mixture of all-around talent like with Breanna Stewart of UConn, combined with post talent and guard talent.
Heres a look at who HERO Sports feels is the best quintet of pro prospects in D1 womens basketball right now.
5. JILLIAN ALLEYNE, OREGON, F (6-3)
Oregon's Jillian Alleyne (Photo Credit Natsumi Seki)
COLLEGE STATS.: 18.9 points per game. 69 percent from the field, 13.8 rebounds per game
THE QUICK TAKE: The ultimate post presence, the 6-foot-3 Alleyne will make any WNBA head coach happy to have on the roster. First of all, she's not just a stiff who can't make a play on offense–she's quite good on the scoring end. But she can also rebound and block a shot or two, adding to her worth. Look for her to be a Top Five pick, depending on team needs.
4. MORIAH JEFFERSON, UCONN, G (5-7)
UConn's Moriah Jefferson; Photo credit: Steven Slade
COLLEGE STATS.: 13.5 points per game in 10 games, with 5.9 assists per game
THE QUICK TAKE: Jefferson is just the quick waterbug guard a team needs to accommodate. She's the consummate court general, doing everything a good guard should do well–she distributes, she's a steal-machine on defense and she can score in droves when needed (at UConn, that's not always a necessity, obviously).
3. RUTH HAMBLIN, OREGON STATE, C (6-6)
Oregon State's Ruth Hamblin (Photo by: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports)
COLLEGE STATS.: 11.3 points per game, 9.4 rebounds, 3 blocks per game
THE QUICK TAKE: Perhaps nobody in the draft is as fierce a shot blocking threat as Hamblin. At 6-foot-6, that's her top attribute and she has 327 of them in her 3.5 year career to show for it. She just flat out changes the game in the paint, and she's a respectable rebounder and will get her six buckets a game, too. She will not be your leading scorer, but she'll be a defensive nightmare for an opponent.
2. JONQUEL JONES, GEORGE WASHINGTON, C (6-4)
Jonquel Jones; Courtesy of George Washington Athletics
COLLEGE STATS.: 17.8 points per game this season in 12 games, 15.5 rebounds, 32 total blocks
THE QUICK TAKE: This Clemson transfer has turned the Atlantic 10 Conference upside down where her impressive play in the post. At 6-foot-4, she is an athletic rebounding machine and will undoubtedly be taken within the first handful of picks in the 2016 WNBA Draft.
1. BREANNA STEWART, UCONN, C (6-4)
Breanna Stewart Courtesy of UConn Athletics
COLLEGE STATS.: 22.9 points per game this year in 9 games, with 7.9 rebounds
THE QUICK TAKE: Stewart is just a flat out rare find. She's 6-foot-4, but she's no tree with roots planted deeply. Not even close. She is as tough a matchup as there has ever been in womens college basketball, and she'll be just as tough when she reaches the WNBA.
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