2012 NBA Mock Draft: Sweet 16 Stars Destined for First Round

The Sweet 16 games tip off tonight, with action taking place in both Boston and Phoenix. Not only will some of the best players in the college game be on display, but plenty of future NBA hopefuls will be putting their skills on display for NBA scouts.

As things look right now, much of the first round will be made up of guys who are still fighting to win a national championship, as the next two weeks can still do a lot to determine draft status.

With that being said, let's jump right into our latest mock draft and once again, the Charlotte Bobcats are on the clock.

1. Charlotte Bobcats: Anthony Davis, Kentucky—Davis is a game-wrecking defender with the agility of a guard, all in a 6'10" frame. He's a fluid athlete with a 7'6" wingspan and tremendous leaping ability. He's one of the best pro prospects we've seen in a long time.

He's got the Wildcats into the Sweet 16 where the Indiana Hoosiers await. So far in the tournament, Davis has been outstanding, averaging 15.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 4.5 BPG.

Davis dominates the paint and teams just can't effectively get the ball inside when he's on the floor, single-handily turning teams into perimeter team. He's been a huge reason why Kentucky is 34-2 on the season.

2. Washington Wizards: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina—He's an athletic wing with a high basketball IQ and can be a high-volume scorer at the NBA level. If paired with John Wall, the Wizards can have good, young talent for the future.

With John Henson out of the lineup and Kendall Marshall possibly out as well , Barnes will have to carry much of the offense load for North Carolina as they prepare to take on the Ohio Bobcats Friday night.

He's been pretty good so far, averaging 15.5 PPG throughout the tournament so far. With the talent North Carolina has on the floor, he's not going to put up huge numbers on a nightly basis as the ball moves around a lot with Marshall on the floor.

But if Marshall is out of the lineup, expect a lot out of Barnes this weekend.

3. New Orleans Hornets: Thomas Robinson, Kansas—Robinson is the prototypical power forward in today's NBA. He's a physical specimen with outstanding leaping ability and has the talent to play the game way above the rim.

He's had an outstanding season, averaging 17.7 PPG and 11.8 RPG and has been a big part of why the Jayhawks are still hanging around, awaiting a matchup with the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

He's coming off a bad game against Purdue in which he went only 2 of 12 from the floor. It's not like Robinson to have two bad games in a row, so expect him to be a big part of Bill Self's gameplan on Friday.

4. Portland Trail Blazers (via New Jersey): Andre Drummond, Connecticut—Drummond's a beast inside the paint with his rebounding and shot-blocking ability and shows the toughness and tenacity to be a dominant inside player. At a young age, he's already got a natural feel for the game with good timing on blocks and explosive leaping ability.

5. Toronto Raptors: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky—Quite simply, Kidd-Gilchrist does pretty much everything well on the floor. He's a high-character guy with a great work ethic. He's got the chance to be a great pro.

Before he gets to the draft though, Kidd-Gilchrist wants to help Kentucky win the national title. In order for the Wildcats to do that, he's going to have to be better then he was in the first two rounds.

He's only scored a total of 11 points in the two tournament games, including being held to two points in a third-round win over Iowa State. Of course he hasn't been looking to score much either, going a combined 5 of 12 from the floor in Kentucky's two wins.

That speaks of the versatility of Kidd-Gilchrist though. He doesn't have to score to make an impact on the game as he's still rebounding well and playing excellent at the defensive end of the floor.

6. Sacramento Kings: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State—Sullinger's very comfortable finishing around the rim with either hand and has excellent hands and footwork with a very good touch around the basket. He's a solid rebounder that attacks the glass at both ends of the floor and creates offensive opportunities off of putbacks.

Sullinger's stock has been up and down as many question whether or not he can have success against good competition.

He faced a tough test in Gonzaga's Robert Sacre last time out for the Buckeyes and had a solid 18 point effort, but was kept off the boards. He's going to continue to show that he can get it done against good players and he gets the chance tonight against Cincinnati.

7. Detroit Pistons: John Henson, North Carolina—He's just an athletic specimen with 7'4" wingspan. Similar to Davis, Henson wrecks games with his length. He's an extraordinary shot-blocker that features a combination of length, quick vertical leap and the ability to swat shots with either hand.

His court coverage is freakish, as he consistently makes an impact on the defensive end even when he's out of position. He rebounds way above the rim, where his skill set provides him with an advantage over most competition.

Henson's been held out of the tournament so far, but you can bet he will make an impact for the Tar Heels before long.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut—He's a good athlete with nice fluidity and quickness, solid explosiveness and leaping skills. Lamb runs the floor very well and has a scorer's mentality. He's got the offensive talent to become a legit No. 1 scoring option, but is also a good defensive guard as well.

9. Utah Jazz (via Golden State): Brad Beal, Florida: Beal's got good size and a good frame and is solid at both ends of the floor. His main trait is his ability to shoot the ball. He's got a terrific stroke, very good mechanics and is a huge threat coming off screens or spotting up.

Florida's been impressive in the tournament so far with two blowout wins, so they haven't needed much from Beal, but he's delivered anyway scoring 14 points in each game, but he's made an impact rebounding as well, averaging 10 rebounds per game. Not many guards are going to do that.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Cody Zeller, Indiana: Zeller's a great athlete with a good feel for the game at such a young age. He runs the floor well and has a great touch around the rim. He's also got a nice mid-range game that could make him deadly from 15-18 feet.

He's been pretty good so far for the Hoosiers as they await a re-match of the Game of the Year so far in college basketball against Kentucky. To get to that game though Indiana had to get by a tough VCU team and Zeller played a big role in that win with a 16 point, 13 rebound effort.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Weber State—Portland has plenty of holes, and one of them is a quality point guard. Lillard is of the most prolific scorers in the nation and has ideal size for an NBA point guard.

Lillard can use his strong frame well to absorb contact around the rim and is an extremely confident shooter that is dangerous at mid-range or well beyond the arc. He's able to create his own shot or spot up off the ball effectively. He handles the ball very well and has the ability to change directions to keep defenders off balance. Lillard can get in the paint at will, and is a crafty finisher around the rim.

12. New Orleans Hornets (via Minnesota): Meyers Leonard, Illinois—Leonard is an athletic seven-footer with quickly developing skills. He's got good offensive awareness and is a talented passer with good court vision.

He does a lot of damage in the post at this level and can bang down low and also use his agility to get to the rim. Leonard's a quality finisher due to his athleticism.

13. Utah Jazz: Kendall Marshall, North Carolina—Utah also needs a floor general and Marshall is a brilliant one that understands how to control the flow of the game. He makes his teammates better and has the height and offensive awareness to see the entire court at all times.

He always dribbles with his head up and rewards teammates when they run the court. Marshall makes passing look effortless and understands when to slow down or speed up the tempo of the game.

We will see how much Marshall really does mean to the Tar Heels as if he can't go they could be in trouble.

Before the hand injury, Marshall has been as good as any guard out there, surprisingly upping his scoring to 14.5 PPG and dishing out a steady 10.5 APG.

14. Phoenix Suns: Austin Rivers, Duke—Rivers is a natural scorer and would be a good fit in Phoenix, as he could be the type of impact player they need. He's a good athlete with excellent fluidity, and agility and decent explosiveness, speed and quickness.

He's really good at changing speeds and displays more of a smooth, controlled game than most players his age. He's a great shooter, but also has a great first step and has very little problems creating for himself.

15. Houston Rockets (via New York): Tyler Zeller, North Carolina—He's a true seven-footer with a long build. Added in with his size, Zeller is also a fluid athlete and is certainly mobile showing some leaping skills. He runs the floor as well as any center prospect out there and has a high level of speed for a guy his size.

Offensively, Zeller demonstrates the ability to play well down low and already has a right-handed jump hook in his arsenal that he utilizes as a go-to move.

Zeller put up a dominating 17 point, 15 rebound effort in a second round win over Vermont and the Heels will need more efforts like that out of him to make a run to New Orleans.

16. New Jersey Nets (via Houston): Moe Harkless, St. Johns—He's a great athlete with a ton of upside. Harkless is an explosive scorer with above-average rebounding skills. He's already thrown his name in the draft and his stock is rising by the week.

17. Boston Celtics: Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State—The way the draft played out this time, Moultrie fell a bit and that is great news for Boston, who get a guy with top-10 talent and a future replacement for Kevin Garnett.

He's a great athlete who can score from the inside or outside and is strong enough to play either the 4 or 5. He can be a nightmare matchup for opponents on the interior, due to explosive quickness and elevation.

18. Denver Nuggets: Terrence Ross, Washington—Ross is a solid scorer and rebounder and gives the Nuggets another talented young player. He's a good athlete with a very natural shooting ability and an explosive leaper that can get off the ground quickly, He also understands how to move without the ball and displays a high basketball IQ.

19. Atlanta Hawks: Perry Jones III, Baylor—Jones continues to slide, but that could be the Hawks gain. He's a super athlete with a tremendous skill set that most players simply don't have. He runs the floor with ease and is talented enough to play inside or outside. He has the ability to control the glass, due to the fact that he can jump out of the gym.

Consistency and maturity are big issues with Jones, though. He has top-five talent, but bringing it out on a nightly basis is another story all together.

Jones hasn't done much to improve that fading stock during the tournament, averaging a mere 4.5 PPG, going scoreless until midway through the second half against Colorado. For the Bears to continue to march on, they need more of the Jones that we saw in the Big 12 Tournament and not the one that we've seen in the NCAA tournament.

20. Philadelphia 76ers: Terrence Jones, Kentucky—Jones has the rare skill set in the way that he can score at any level. He's a gifted athlete that doesn't mind playing in traffic and is very creative off the dribble. He could turn into a steal this late in the draft.

Kentucky has so much talent that it's a different guy that steps up every game. Against Western Kentucky, it was Jones who exploded with a 22 point, 10 rebound effort.

He showed right then what type of NBA talent he has.

21. Houston Rockets (via Dallas): Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt—Taylor's a very smooth player. Offensively, he has a quick first step and can get to the rim and draw contact. He's also got good form on his jumper.

Taylor's still improving on the offensive end, but he's got the length and the will to become a lock-down perimeter defender.

22. Indiana Pacers: Tony Wroten, Washington—Initially, Wroten can help provide Indiana with some additional scoring punch, but he could be the point guard of the future in Indiana. He's a guy that can do everything well.

He uses his athleticism by helping out on the offensive boards, scooping up loose balls, playing hounding defense and being active all the time on the court. Wroten picks his spots for his own offense, spending most of his possessions looking for teammates, yet he can rise up and dunk or step back and hit the perimeter shot with consistency.

23. Memphis Grizzlies: Dion Waiters, Syracuse—Waiters could be a nice addition to a steadily improving Memphis team. He can play both on and off the ball and while he's a scorer at heart, he's got the ability to create off the dribble, resulting in open looks for teammates.

He's always looking to get out in transition and can change direction off the bounce to finish at the rim. He's an above-average shooter with NBA range that can shoot off the dribble as well as spot up and shoot off the pass.

Syracuse has all the depth in the world, but when they need a play made, they turn to Waiters, who has responded with games of 12 and 18 points in a pair of Syracuse victories.

24. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers): John Jenkins, Vanderbilt—Boston can find their replacement for Ray Allen in Jenkins. He's an outstanding long-range shooter with unlimited range and an effortless shooting motion.

25. Orlando Magic: Royce White, Iowa State—White's stock has been rising and a good showing against UConn and Kentucky has helped his cause. He's a big small forward, but has point guard skills.

He can get to the rim and finish well and is a terror with a head of steam. Not too many people have been able to stay in front of him while he's attacking the basket.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers): Tony Mitchell, North Texas—Mitchell has a high ceiling and a solid skill set, with the ability to play either forward spot. He's a decent scorer with a good jumper, but he has the ability to excel on the defensive end.

He records a ton of blocks and steals and has been really tough to score against at the college level. He's also a relentless rebounder both offensively and defensively.

27. Golden State Warriors (via San Antonio): Draymond Green, Michigan State: Golden State can get themselves a player with Green. He's always active and has the ability to fill the stat sheet. He might not be great at any one thing, but he's good at everything.

Has any player been better this tournament? With a triple-double and a double-double already on his resume in two games, you can't beat numbers that read 20.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 8.0 APG. He will need another big effort though as the Spartans face a tough Louisville team tonight.

He's a playmaker and if he keeps performing in the tournament, his stock will continue to rise.

28. Miami Heat: Kris Joseph, Syracuse—Joseph is a solid player and has been well coached. His length, athleticism and non-stop motor will make him a pretty solid defensive player. He's got a decent offensive game and is very good at finding open spots on the floor.

The Orange might need more out of Joseph to get past Wisconsin. with all the depth Syracuse has, the ball spreads around, but the senior who's averaged 11.5 PPG so far in the tournament is capable of much more if he's needed to.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Drew Gordon, New Mexico—Gordon's a very gifted athlete with explosive leaping abilities. Offensively, he's got good hands, runs the floor well and has a very nice jumper.

Defensively, he's physical and relentless on the glass. He could be a nice depth pick for the Thunder and a potential starter down the road.

30. Chicago Bulls: Alec Young, IUPUI—The Bulls could use another scoring option and Young can certainly do that.

He's got an NBA body and is a tremendous slasher.