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Updated 2026 WNBA mock drafts for South Carolina stars after free agency

Let's see where Raven Johnson, Ta'Niya Latson and Madina Okot might end up.
Morgan Moriarty
Morgan Moriarty

Garnet and Cocky

Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ta'niya Latson (00) and guard Raven Johnson (25) react in the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2026 WNBA Draft is nearly here. During Monday evening's draft, three former South Carolina Gamecock stars in guards Raven Johnson and Ta'Niya Latson as well as center Madina Okot will be in attendance in New York City. 

All three players are expected to be picked somewhere in the first round, matching Dawn Staley's three first-rounders in 2017 and 2023. 

Let's take a look at the latest WNBA mock drafts to see where each former Gamecock is projected to end up. For this, we will use the latest mock drafts from The Athletic, CBS Sports and ESPN. 

Raven Johnson 

Both ESPN and The Athletic like Johnson to land at No. 7 overall to the Portland Fire, one of the WNBA's newest expansion teams. The Athletic notes that the Fire already have Carla Leite at point guard on the roster, Johnson could be a back-up point guard in Portland. 

CBS Sports, meanwhile, has Johnson landing at No. 11 overall to the Washington Mystics, joining a draft class featuring former LSU star Flau'jae Johnson. The outlet notes that the Mystics could also potentially land UCLA center Lauren Betts, which could make Washington into a contender overnight.  

Ta'Niya Latson

Instead of the Washington Mystics selecting Flau'jae Johnson with their No. 9 pick, The Athletic likes them to pick Latson instead. There, Latson would join a backcourt that already has former first-round pick Georgia Amoore. Latson and Amoore faced off against each other plenty of times in the ACC when Latson was at Florida State and Amoore at Virginia.

CBS Sports, meanwhile, likes Latson to land at No. 12 overall to the Connecticut Sun, teaming up with Brittney Griner. The Sun will be moving to Houston after the 2026 season. ESPN pegs Latson to get picked at No. 13 overall to the Atlanta Dream, teaming up with the team's newest free agent signee in Angel Reese. 

Madina Okot

Unfortunately for Coach Staley and South Carolina fans, the NCAA denied a waiver for Okot for one more season in Columbia. So instead, she is heading to the WNBA draft. ESPN projects Okot to go the highest, landing at No. 10 overall to the Indiana Fever, where she'll join Caitlin Clark, and former Gamecock star Aliyah Boston. 

CBS, meanwhile, has her landing at No. 13 overall to the Atlanta Dream, with The Athletic predicting she goes No. 15 overall to the Connecticut Sun to close out the draft. 

The draft will air live on ESPN, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. 

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty is the site expert at FanSided's Garnet and Cocky, joining the site in the Spring of 2026. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL, college football recruiting and numerous other major sports for outlets like the The Sporting News, Bleacher Report, The Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She has been a Biletnikoff Award voter since 2024, and has been a featured guest on various CNN programs.