New NBA Draft 2026 Big Board Rankings Revealed by Expert, Is Darryn Peterson Top 2 amid Rumors?

Darryn Peterson is reportedly only visiting the Washington Wizards, who have the top pick, ahead of the 2026 NBA draft, but that doesn't mean he is the consensus top player.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic released a new big board of prospects Monday and ranked Peterson as the No. 3 overall player behind AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer. Notably, though, those were the only three players in Vecenie's "headliners" category, which was reserved for "potential franchise cornerstones with All-NBA upside."

In other words, teams probably can't do wrong with any of the three.

The timing of the big board was notable since ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo reported Monday that Peterson is only visiting with the Wizards while Dybantsa visited with Washington and the Utah Jazz.

Utah has the No. 2 overall pick.

"Both have believed in going No. 1—and now teams in the lottery are taking note of Peterson's decision to only give access to Washington," Charania wrote.

Highlights from Darryn Peterson's 28-Point Game

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Vecenie isn't the only one who doesn't have Peterson No. 1 despite that report.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman released a big board that ranks Boozer first, Peterson second and Dybantsa. 

"Slotting Boozer No. 1 means buying into his production and winning across all settings, from 15 years old straight through to Duke," Wasserman wrote. "The impact of his frontcourt shooting, passing IQ, physicality, decision-making and poise should far outweigh the occasional issues that stem from athletic limitations."

He granted that "Peterson and Dybantsa aren't far behind" and highlighted the Kansas' star's outside shooting off the ball.

Whether that shooting and overall upside is enough to convince the Wizards to take Peterson No. 1 remains to be seen, but he will surely be a top-three pick come draft day.

His overall potential will likely be too much to overlook, and he could be a franchise cornerstone for the Wizards, Jazz or Memphis Grizzlies.