Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft is fast approaching. It doesn’t seem there will be much drama at the top of the draft, with Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga penciled in as the top two overall picks on just about every reputable mock.
The middle of the first round requires more creative thinking, but the end of the first and the start of the second round is where you’ll likely see the most chaos. That means some solid talent will fall into the depths of the draft, so the likelihood of another Kate Martin rising through the ranks at training camp this year feels reasonable.
For this article, a sleeper is a player who is a consensus mid-to-late second-round pick or later. As an added wrinkle, I’m also disqualifying any player who accepted an invite to the WNBA Draft.
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
JJ Quinerly enters the 2025 WNBA Draft after winning consecutive Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Awards. She’s just the fourth player in the conference’s history to achieve the feat, joining WNBA champions Courtney Paris and Britney Griner as well as 2020 No. 3 overall pick Lauren Cox.
Not only was JJ Quinerly the best defender in the Big 12 two seasons running, she was also among the most potent scorers in the conference. The 5’8 combo guard averaged 20.4 points per game on 44.3% shooting this season and scored a career high 38 points on 16-of-21 shooting (4-of-5 from 3) in a 76-45 trouncing of Utah in February.
With Quinerly likely taken in the middle of the second round, perhaps earlier, she has a strong chance of making an opening night roster.
Quinerly could provide a valuable scoring boost off the bench for a team picking late in the second round like Indiana or Los Angeles. Plus, her speed would allow her to mold well into an offensive system that’s designed around Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Plum.
Rayah Marshall, USC
Rayah Marshall is arguably the most effective rim protector in the entire draft class. She’s a bit of a project on the offensive end, but Marshall managed to average double digits in scoring in three of her four seasons at USC.
Despite a statistical regression on offense this past season, Marshall could see herself drafted in the late second round because of her aforementioned rim protection and her ability to defend the paint. The Los Angeles native does both of those things at a professional level and her 6’4 frame will allow her to present a challenging matchup for just about any big in the league this season.
Marshall’s best games at USC include a 26-point, 11-rebound gem on 8-of-17 shooting in a 95-93 2OT win over Arizona in 2023-24 and her gutsy performance against UConn in her final collegiate game just a few weeks ago caught attention.
With her partner-in-crime JuJu Watkins out with a torn ACL, Marshall went out on her sword with a 26-point, 15-rebound performance that kept the Women of Troy closer than anyone could have imagined against the eventual champion UConn Huskies.
Marshall can be formidable offensively in the right system, but even if used as a situational defender, the former Trojan will provide plenty of value to whichever team takes her in the second round on Monday.
Harmoni Turner, Harvard
Harmoni Turner is among the most intriguing prospects in the draft. She won the Ivy League Player of the Year award this past season, leading Harvard to a 24-5 record en route to an Ivy League tournament championship and the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007.
Regardless of conference, Turner was one of the nation’s best three-level scorers in 2024-25. She put the nation on notice with a 41-point, 10-rebound performance on 14-of-23 shooting (7-of-11 from 3) in a 78-70 win over Boston College in November. That performance set a program record, at least until Turner again set the mark with a 44-point game against Princeton in the Ivy League semifinal. Turner made 14-of-27 attempts from the field in that one and again went 7-of-11 from 3-point range.
In terms of mid-major scoring threats entering the draft, Turner reminds me a bit of Kierstan Bell when she was coming out of Florida Gulf Coast a few years ago.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will take place on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
