This year's WNBA Draft will still be held on April 17 as previously planned. The big difference this year is that it will be held virtually.

That means top draft prospects, including three outgoing Oregon players, will not be on location for this year's draft, eliminating the opportunity to hear their name called in person leading to a trek to the podium to hold their jersey with WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert.

"That would’ve been really cool for all of us," Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said on Friday's Autzen Audibles podcast. "I could’ve moved from table to table like [Kentucky coach John] Calipari on the men’s side.

"But, if you hear your name called and you watch it live, however you stream this thing, I thing that’s going to be really special and validation to all of them."

Three former Ducks are expected to be taken in the first round (12 selections) of this year's draft. Sabrina Ionescu is a lock to be taken first overall by the New York Liberty, while forwards Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard are also expected first round picks. Sabally has the chance to go No. 2 overall by the Dallas Wings.

Graves is also expecting a fourth player, guard Minyon Moore, to receive an opportunity to at the very least make a WNBA roster.

“I’ve talked to a couple of GMs who do have [Moore] on their board," he said. "She’s not going to be a first round pick or second round pick, and even if she doesn’t get drafted, she’s going to be invited to camps. She’ll have a chance to make a team."

With three of his former players set to be taken early this year, it's likely at least one, if not more, turn out to be high caliber professional players. Graves believes all three possess the intangibles to do so. He's heard WNBA general managers rave about one of his players' upsides.

"From what I’ve been told, and we’ve had every WNBA team in to watch our practices or games this year, so I’ve had a chance to talk to pretty much all of them, everybody feels like Satou has a lot of growth potential," he said. "She’s still relatively new to the game. At 6-foot-4 and with her skillset and athleticism, I think they see a very high ceiling.

“But listen, Sabrina you can’t measure the intangibles that she brings, how hard she competes, and also she’s given you more than just the stats. She’s going to change the culture where she goes, and set a different bar for winning and those sorts of things."

While Ionescu and Sabally could very well be taken 1-2 in this year's draft, Graves knows that Hebard will draw attention for numerous WNBA franchises as well. He's aware of one in particular. That would be the Chicago Sky, who own the No. 8 pick in the draft, where former Gonzaga guard Courtney Vandersloot, another former Graves' pupil, has developed into one of the league's premier perimeter players.

“I know one player in particular, Courtney Vandersloot, who’s first-team All-WNBA, is lobbying her coach and general manager to pick her," he said. "She wants someone in the pick-n-roll, and Ruthy understands it better than anyone coming out of college in years, maybe ever. So if you have someone like Courtney pulling for you, that’s pretty high praise because I know she watches most of our games."

Graves added that he believed some teams and outlets may be overlooking the 6-foot-4 forward due to her supposed lack of shooting range.

"I think her potential is off the charts," he said. "I hear people say she doesn’t shoot that well. You know what? She does. She can shoot the ball with the range and to the perimeter. The thing is that she’s smart enough to know that her taking a 17-footer doesn’t help us as much as one of our snipers taking a three or her taking a layup. She’s capable."

This year's WNBA Draft is set for April 17. It will take place at 5 PM. It will be carried on ESPN. Per a recent ESPN mock draft, Ionescu is set to go first overall, Sabally third and Hebard 11th.

You can listen to the entirety of Friday's Autzen Audibles interview with Kelly Graves HERE.