Nate Ament Mocked as No. 4 Pick Despite Recent Struggles
Image: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman released their Mock Draft 1.0 on Thursday with Tennessee true freshman Nate Ament projected as the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10, 205-pound native of Manassas (Virginia), has shown flashes of premier potential while averaging 17.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists through nine games this season.
However, his efficiency has raised concerns around Vol Nation.
Ament is shooting just 38.5% from the field, and in his past three outings against Houston, Kansas, and Syracuse, he connected on only 8 of 33 attempts as the Volunteers went 1-2 during that stretch.
Despite the struggles, scouts remain intrigued by his upside, as they should.
One anonymous source told Goodman, “It’ll probably be until his second contract before we see what he really can be, but he’s got a ton of potential. He’s long and while he hasn’t shot it well, I think he’ll be a good shooter at our level. He just needs to get stronger, but he’s got all the tools. I see him going somewhere from 3 to 6 in this draft.”
If Goodman’s projection holds, Ament would tie Tom Boerwinkle as the highest-drafted Tennessee player of all time.
Boerwinkle went fourth overall in the 1968 NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls.
Tennessee will look to rebound from its recent skid when it faces Illinois on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The game will air on ESPN.
