3. Zach Edey, Purdue
Speaking of players who have not shied away from the bright lights of the collegiate postseason, no player has dominated quite like Purdue's Zach Edey. Leading the nation with 25 points per game on top of 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Edey is unquestionably the best player in college basketball right now — well, at least in the men's division.
Edey has terrorized the competition in the postseason thus far, averaging 29.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per game thus far. The 7-foot-4 giant has propelled Purdue to a 33-4 record and appears hellbent on avenging an embarrassing first-round loss to #16 seed Farleigh Dickinson in the 2023 NCAA tournament.
Due to his enormous stature and lack of lateral mobility, many scouts are hesitant to select a player like Edey in the first round. There are very real concerns to be had over his game, but like we've seen with Walker Kessler, there's still plenty of room for this archetype of player in today's NBA. Since the league is considering rule changes and making adjustments that allow defenders to be more aggressive, it only makes even more sense to add size on team-friendly contracts now.
With Andre Drummond almost certainly on his way out after this season, the Bulls could draft a player like Edey to shore up the frontcourt reserves. The Bulls may even be able to land him without dealing major assets, as Chicago could likely grab an early second-round pick relatively easily by trading back, dealing a future pick, or just buying one outright with cash.
However they get the job done, I'm confident Edey would quickly become a fan favorite if he suited up in some red and white Bulls threads. Tune in on Saturday to see Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers take on NC State in this year's Final Four.