We are less than two months away from the 2025 NBA Draft! There are multiple Mountain West prospects on draft radars this year, with three participating in next week’s NBA Draft Combine (May 11-18). What does each prospect need to showcase to help their stock next week? Let’s dive into it!

Nique Clifford, G/F, Colorado State

Clifford, a two-time All-Mountain West honoree, is the only one of the three players listed who has tested in the waters already. He had the best season of his career as Colorado State’s lead shot creator in 2024-25, averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Clifford is widely expected to be one of the top upperclassmen in the class as a potential first-round pick, though that doesn’t mean he doesn’t come without his flaws.

In just his short time at Colorado State, he was not only one of the best rebounders in the Mountain West, but one of the best point-of-attack defenders. Defensively, I thought Clifford showed good instincts, dexterity, center of gravity and contact balance, but he’s likely going to be tasked with defending 2s and 3s at the next level—and they’re going to be much stronger.

If he continues to fill out his 6-foot-6, 175-pound frame, I think he will be able to hold up. He will also have to continue to showcase his improved shooting and ball handling. Clifford was excellent moving off-ball—better than most with a similar usage (27.7 USG% in ‘24-25)—but he if can flash legitimate creation upside, I think stock only gets that much better in what appears to be a diluted 2025 class.

Myles Byrd, G, San Diego State

I wrote about Byrd’s draft prospects in mid-January. I still think he’s one of the best defensive playmakers in the class with legitimate creation upside, but he shot the ball poorly in Mountain West play, knocking down just 20.5 percent of his 3-pointers over his final 15 games. San Diego State’s telephone-booth spacing didn’t help, but he struggled mightily as a pull-up shooter.

He had a mixed bag of reps as a pick-and-roll ball handler; he wasn’t bad at manipulating drop and tag defenders, but my two biggest concerns are his ball handling and strength—or lack thereof. He’s not strong enough (yet) at getting to his spots when it’s not attacking closeouts. He’s also not a great ballhandler in traffic, which was exposed by SDSU’s lack of formidable spacing. Can he quiet those concerns in a combine setting (if he plays in the scrimmages) with improved shooting consistency? That’s the question.

Kobe Sanders, G/F, Nevada

Sanders hasn’t been on many draft radars for most of the pre-draft process, but he impressed during the 2025 Portsmouth Invitational, parlaying that into a Combine Invite. I’m not in the room nor do I have any intel, but the fact that he leaped the G-League Elite Camp—held from May 9-11 (no MW players involved)—may mean he’s getting good intel from somewhere. Take it as you wish. And it’s deserved. Sanders was one of the conference’s top shot creators in his lone season with the Wolf Pack, averaging 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 33 games.

However, I still do have concerns about Sanders as a (draftable) NBA prospect. He was a fluid pull-up jump shooter with good touch from 5-to-15 feet, though he struggled to apply much rim pressure in the half court due to his lack of secondary burst; barely 27 percent of his shots came at the rim this season, which isn’t enough for a 6-foot-9 combo guard/wing at the next level. How he tests athletically will matter to me; how does he fare against other guards and wings with comparable measurable?

Sanders is strong and used an array of setbacks and spin fadeaway to create separation in the mid-range, but I do worry about his lack of three-level scoring upside if he can’t get the to the rim consistently or knock down open shots (34.1 3P%, albeit on 3.7 3PA, over last two seasons). I thought he was a solid defender and was an improved passer, but I think if he can continue to show growth in those areas in front of evaluators, his stock will continue to climb.