Caleb Wilson Makes Case to Go No. 1 in 2026 NBA Draft, 'You Can Check the Tape'

While much of the speculation about the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft has centered around AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson believes he should also be under consideration.

"I definitely do," he said during a Wednesday appearance on NBA Today (2:30 mark) when asked if he believes he should be the No. 1 pick in the draft. "I played against everybody else, and I won. And I played better. It's just that simple for me. … You can check the film, you can check the tape."

Wilson clearly believes in himself, but the real discussion may end up being him against Duke's Cameron Boozer for the No. 3 pick.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected the Memphis Grizzlies to go with Boozer at No. 3 and the Chicago Bulls to end up with Wilson at No. 4 in his most recent mock draft, but he made it clear that is far from a certainty.

"There are even NBA front office members who actually prefer Wilson to Cameron Boozer, whose athletic limitations have raised some skepticism," Wasserman wrote. "Certain scouts sound willing to bet on Wilson's open-floor ball-handling, mid-range scoring and passing continuing to improve to complement the quickness, explosion and defensive range that Boozer lacks."

Wilson was an All-ACC First-Team selection and an Associated Press Second-Team All-American in his one season at North Carolina while averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

He also connected on 57.8 percent of his field-goal attempts and led North Carolina with 23 points in its victory over Boozer and the Blue Devils. Wilson was sidelined for Duke's win in the rivalry game in the second matchup.

Wilson seems to be a potential play at this point when it comes to the top prospect behind Dybantsa and Peterson, as Boozer was the AP Player of the Year, Naismith Award Winner and Wooden Award winner who is seen as a known commodity and someone who can rack up double-doubles from the moment he steps on the floor.

But potential can go a long way when it comes to the draft, and Wilson thinks even the Washington Wizards should take that into consideration before making the first pick.