NBA Draft 2011: Jimmer Fredette and the 5 Best College Seniors

This season's NBA Draft has seen quite a few college ballers stay in school for more than just one year. 

In fact, there are just three players who are opting out of their sophomore years to declare for the NBA Draft. 

Furthermore, there are five total seniors that are projected to go in the first round of this year's NBA Draft. 

Of course, college seniors bring a lot to the table; they've had four years of time to develop the fundamentals of the game and mature, fine-tuning their skills with a solid amount of competition and the drive to help a team get to the Final Four every year. 

That's why college seniors are awesome. 

But which ones are the best? Here are the five best college seniors, in order, declaring for the NBA Draft. 

5. Chandler Parsons

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 26: Chandler Parsons #25 of the Florida Gators shoots over Shelvin Mack #1 of the Butler Bulldogs during the Southeast regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 26, 2011 in New Orlea

Chandler Parsons isn't your typical NBA Draft prospect. 

OK, so he kind of is. But he's not the kind who can turn your franchise around. 

Parsons could bring a new dynamic to whatever team that drafts him; hopefully, a championship team that could use his knowledge of the fundamentals of the game, and outside shooting stroke. He may not be a starter, but he'll contribute greatly off the bench.

In essence, he is, indeed, the fifth best senior this year, because of his know-how and knowledge of the game, inside and out. 

If Parsons is put into the right position with a winning team, he can learn a hell of a lot more. 

4. Kenneth Faried

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles goes up to contest the shot of Cedrick Lindsay #2 of the Richmond Spiders during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denv

Kenneth Faried is a solid basketball player, but he lacks the well-roundedness of a typical first-round draft pick. 

Faried won't translate well offensively into the NBA. He lacks any sort of offensive know-how to score, pass or dribble (or post-up) when he needs to.

So why is he on this list?

Faried is one of those "high motor" guys who thrives on playing stingy defense and getting under his opponents' skin with his physical play and high energy rebounding. He'll remind you of Ronny Turiaf in that aspect. 

He can be used by teams that need some athleticism, especially against teams like the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, both of which are extremely athletic and can beat you with that alone. 

Again, Faried would fare best on a championship-contending team. 

3. Kyle Singler

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Kyle Singler #12 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts while taking on the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2011 in Charl

Kyle Singler is a cerebral player who has benefited tremendously from his four years at Duke.

Singler has ridiculous court vision and an awesome ability to shoot; dude can put the ball on the floor for a couple steps and set his shoulders fairly well to shoot off that dribble.

He lacks athleticism, but he's the epitome of why a guy who lacks such athleticism can be successful with hard work and a studious demeanor.

Singler can, if given the chance, develop into a point forward, much like Hedo Turkoglu did during his first tenure with the Orlando Magic. 

He'll fit on a team that's considered "middle of the pack" where he'll get valuable playing time but has enough talent around him to elevate his own play.

2. Jimmer Fredette

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 24: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars warms up prior to their game against the Florida Gators in the Southeast regional of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 24, 2011 in New Orle

Oh, and you thought he was number one?

There's no doubt that Jimmer Fredette is going to be the first senior selected in the NBA Draft. 

That doesn't necessarily make him the best senior in the draft.

Fredette is marketable as hell; he was a prolific scorer at BYU, and anyone who keeps up with televised basketball can tell you that they cannot get enough of Fredette.

He is a surefire scorer, but at the point guard position, teams prefer the pass-first type, which is a lot more difficult to find than a scoring guard. 

Regardless, Fredette is the second best senior in the draft. He should be happy.

1. Marshon Brooks

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LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 02: Marshon Brooks #2 of the Providence Friars shoots the ball during the Big East Conference game against the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center on March 2, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville won 87-60. (Photo by

Marshon Brooks may not have about 112,000 ridiculous, supposed-to-be ill-fated 3-point knockdowns that Jimmer Fredette has, but, in all honesty, dude can play. 

In fact, Brooks is a prolific scorer, too; however, you haven't heard of him because he plays at Providence, not because he isn't any good. 

Brooks can play at both the off-guard and on-guard, and has an amazing shot and craftiness with the ball to go with it. This is displayed in his 52-point game against Notre Dame, going off completely.

He doesn't have the ability to share the ball like Kyle Singler and Jimmer Fredette do; however, in this league, if you have a player who can score on and off the dribble, you're bound to have more success than having one-dimensional players. 

Either way, whoever picks up Brooks is one lucky team.