Just a few months after Shedeur Sanders fell down NFL Draft boards into the fifth round, another college star hoping to turn pro is being projected to take a tumble from his previously lofty projections.

While the No. 1 overall pick in this draft has clearly been Duke freshman Cooper Flagg for the longest time, a pair of Rutgers stars were expected to be taken in picks No. 2 and No. 3 behind him.

Guard Dylan Harper is still projected to be selected second overall, as has been his ᴀssumed spot for months.

But the same can’t be said for his Scarlet Knights teammate Ace Bailey.

Bailey, who had been projected as the third overall pick for the entire college basketball season, is now being branded as the most polarizing prospect in the draft.

A big reason for that is the fact that Bailey is the only US-based prospect in this year’s pool who has not visited a team in the pre-draft process.

Rutgers forward Ace Bailey is cancelling a workout and interview with the Sixers this weekend

Bailey (R) and his Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper (2) were projected to be picks 2 and 3

But Bailey’s reluctance to work out or interview with any teams has caused his stock to fall

Bailey was expected to have a private workout and a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers this weekend. However, according to multiple reports, that visit has now been cancelled.

Philadelphia has the third overall pick in this year’s draft and, according to ABC 6’s Jason Dumas, Bailey was ‘seeking a promise from the Sixers’ before committing to attend a meeting.

That follows on from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony projecting the Sixers would draft Baylor shooting guard VJ Edgecombe third overall. Meanwhile, he projected Bailey would fall to the sixth overall pick with the Washington Wizards.

‘Bailey’s predraft workout strategy has perplexed some observers, as he has yet to conduct a single known workout to date, having declined invitations from several teams within his draft range,’ Givony wrote. 

‘Sources say Bailey’s camp has informed interested teams that they believe he is a top-3 player in the draft, but also seeks a clear pathway to stardom, perhaps feeling comfortable that a team will trade up to get him at Nos. 3 or 4, should he drop.

‘Some teams question whether Bailey has received ᴀssurances of being selected by a team currently outside the top five, to a situation deemed more advantageous from a geographic and playing time perspective.’

Rutgers did not make March Madness this season, struggling to a 15-17 record as the rest of coach Steve Pikiell’s team could not match the quality that Harper and Bailey could provide.

Bailey averaged 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 ᴀssists per game in college.