Texas’ Collier may be top WNBA pick

The WNBA will welcome new talent to the league Thursday when the 2021 draft premieres at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. For a second consecutive year, the draft will be held virtually. The season is scheduled to begin on May 14.

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ projected first-round picks:

1. Dallas Wings (via New York Liberty): Charli Collier. The 6-foot-5 forward/center out of Texas is a versatile post player who finished her junior season with 19.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.1% from the field. Coming off the board first would be no surprise for the player who was vital in the Longhorns’ Sweet 16 upset over Maryland in the 2021 NCAA women’s tournament.

2. Dallas Wings: Awak Kuier. The 19-year-old from Finland currently plays professionally for Virtus Eirene Ragusa in Italy. Joining Ragusa last August, Kuier has held her own playing against some of the WNBA’s best, including the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard. She is set to become the first Finnish player in league history. The 6-foot-5 center who was born in Cairo and emigrated to Finland with her family as a small child has drawn comparisons to reigning Defensive Player of the Year and two-time MVP Candace Parker.

3. Atlanta Dream: Arella Guirantes. The 5-foot-11 guard from Rutgers finished her senior season averaging 21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game and was the only player to rank among the Big Ten’s top five in points, assists, steals and blocks per game.

4. Indiana Fever: Rennia Davis. The 6-foot-2 guard/forward out of Tennessee is a dynamic scorer and tenacious defender who finished her senior season with 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The two-way player is one of only four players in Lady Vols history to rank among the school’s career top 10 in points, points per game, rebounds and rebounds per game.

5. Dallas Wings (via Washington Mystics): Aari McDonald. The defensive dynamo out of Arizona raised her stock when she made a huge impact during the 2021 tournament. The 5foot-6 guard was key to the Wildcats’ upset over Connecticut in the national semifinals, leading Arizona to its first NCAA championship game. Averaging 20.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists her senior season, McDonald was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and co-Defensive Player of the Year.

6. New York Liberty (via Connecticut Sun): Dana Evans. The two-time Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Evans averaged 20.1 points and 3.9 assists this season. The 5-foot-6 guard had 29 points in Louisville’s Sweet 16 win over Oregon and 25 in the Elite Eight loss to eventual champion Stanford.

7. Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky): Chelsea Dungee. The 5-foot-11 guard out of Arkansas is a dynamic scorer who averaged 22.3 points this season. A WBCA first-team All-American, Dungee scored 22 and 27 points, respectively, against Mississippi and Wright State in the NCAA Tournament.

8. Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Kiana Williams. The 5-foot-8 guard led Stanford to its first national championship since 1992. A steady shooter, the WBCA first-team AllAmerican averaged 14 points her senior season and set a Cardinal record for career 3-pointers with 310.

9. Minnesota Lynx: Natasha Mack. The 6-foot-4 power forward out of Oklahoma State led Division I women’s basketball in blocked shots, averaging 4 per game, and was the WBCA’s national Defensive Player of the Year. Mack finished her senior season averaging 19.8 points and 12.4 rebounds.

10. Los Angeles Sparks: Michaela Onyenwere. A WBCA honorable mention All-American, the 6-foot forward ended her senior season averaging 19.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for UCLA, leaving the program at No. 4 on the alltime scoring list.

11. Seattle Storm: Jasmine Walker. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 19.1 points and 9.4 rebounds this season. Walker, a WBCA honorable mention All-American, helped lead the Crimson Tide to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999.

12. Las Vegas Aces: DiJonai Carrington. In one season at Baylor after transferring from Stanford, Carrington was named the Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year and finished her season with 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. A key part in helping the Lady Bears advance to the Elite 8 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the 5foot-11 guard was also able to raise her draft stock.