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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft delivered exactly what fans expected at the top. AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards. Darryn Peterson went No. 2 to the Utah Jazz. And Cameron Boozer fell No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies. In total, nine of the first 10 picks were all freshmen, which was an NBA Draft record.
But the biggest headlines by the end of the night weren't necessarily the stars. Some notable picks in the middle of the first round genuinely surprised everyone.
Here were the top three surprise draft picks from Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft.
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Dailyn Swain - No. 15 to the Chicago Bulls
The most surprising selection of the night might have been Swain going to the Bulls at No. 15. On paper, the 6-foot-7 Texas wing checks a lot of boxes. He averaged 17.3 points 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game last season. He shot 54.2% from the floor and won SEC Newcomer of the Year award after spending his first two seasons at Xavier. His size, athleticism, and defense made him one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft.
But Swain's high turnover rate (2.7 per game) and shaky shotmaking remained one of the biggest question marks. Nowadays, most first-round prospects with his makeup tend to have some form of a long-range shot. But Swain gets almost all of his points insider the paint. He's proven he can attack the rim with force, but what's going to happen when he runs into stretch NBA bigs? It won't be difficult for defenders to push him out to the perimeter, where he has yet to prove he can make an impact.
Ebuka Okorie - No. 17 to the Detroit Pistons
Another major shock came when the Pistons traded up to No 17 overall to select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie. Okorie averaged 23.2 points per game last season with the Cardinal, shooting 46.5% from the field and 35.4% from deep. He also possesses a near 6-foot-8 wingspan, unique considering his 6-foot-2 frame. Detroit clearly saw something it loved, surrendering the draft rights to Karim Lopez and three second-round picks to move up four spots and secure the explosive scorer.
Scouts, however, have noted concerns with his size, strength, and lack of explosive athleticism. Guards of his size don't normally go this high unless they come from a blueblood like Kentucky or Kansas. He's also never been a secondary option, so it remains to be seen how well his skills will transfer over at the NBA level on a team that runs through Cade Cunningham. Some draft analysts even had him going in the second round, making the trade up to draft Okorie at No. 17 surprising to say the least.
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Alex Karaban - No. 29 to the Sacramento Kings
While the Kings hit on Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7 overall, adding Karaban towards the end of the first round was unexpected. The former UConn forward is a proven winner, with two national championships with Dan Hurley's Huskies, and we can all agree that Sacramento could use more of that. But he also has clear physical limitations and was never the go-to option at UConn.
Karaban is 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, and shot 37.4% from 3-point range through his college career. He also has a high basketball IQ and strong leadership qualities. But his limited athleticism, paired with some defensive concerns, and whether his shooting stroke would translate to the NBA level, had him pegged as a mid-second round pick. The Kings traded the No. 34 pick to move up and draft Karaban No. 29 overall when they probably could've just waited to pick him up in the second round.
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