I hate the term “way too early mock.” It’s a defensive and apologetic way of describing a mock that’s published months or even a year ahead of the actual draft. It’s as if people assume any 2019 NBA mock draft is worthless (or just way too early) until after they see the NCAA tournament.

NBA mock drafts represent the value of NBA draft prospects, based on years of scouting and analysis — not just on one season of college hoops. Search for the “way too early” 2018 NBA Drafts and you’ll notice that those early mocks had familiar names at the top: Ayton, Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Sexton, Jackson. Mocks are surprisingly good at establishing prospect rankings a year or more ahead of the draft. A lot can change — and always does — but the big picture comes into focus way ahead of the draft.

I would argue most bad mocks are “way to late.” These are the mocks that have an immediacy bias. Just look at the mocks and NBA draft experts that were down on Jaylen Brown. The summer before Jaylen’s freshman season at Cal, most mocks had him and Ben Simmons vying for the # 1 pick. Players like Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn were a notch below Simmons and Jaylen. A lot of “way too late” experts LOL’d when the Celtics drafted him at #3 because he had a terrible season at Cal. Lucky for the Celts, Danny Ainge evaluated Jaylen based on his body of work over a few years.

There aren’t enough good “way too early” mocks. So, to help you to keep track of the best 2019 NBA mock drafts, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites.

#7 Tankathon 2019 NBA Mock Draft

Every season, Tankathon has been expanding what it offers to its users, including updated mocks and prospect profile pages. But let’s face it, Tankathon is still all about being able to run a 2019 NBA mock draft simulator.

#6 NBADraft.net 2019 NBA Mock Draft

I’m old school. I still think NBADraft.net has one of the best mocks around. It’s also by far the easiest mock to read on one screen.

#5 (TIE) Yahoo Sports 2019 NBA Mock Draft Lottery & NBC Sports Mock Draft Lottery

These sites are like the tapas of mocks: they come in small portions. Each site just focuses on the lottery picks for now. So they’re helpful if you just want detailed descriptions of the top picks.

#4 CBS Sports 2019 NBA Draft

Gary Parrish from CBS Sports is one of the more prolific and knowledgeable draft experts. I don’t know why he’s so low on Zion Williamson and Bol Bol. Maybe he knows something I don’t.

#3 The Stepien 2019 NBA Draft Big Board

Uhhh… I thought this was a ranking of the top 2019 NBA mock drafts, not big boards? True. But I’m breaking the rule. I had to add The Stepien because they are a useful resource and act as a legit scouting department. You will NOT agree with their rankings, which is why I love them. They don’t use other sites to inform their picks. I would bookmark this site and reference it when you start making your own 2019 NBA mock draft.

#2 SB Nation 2019 NBA Mock Draft

Ricky O’Donnell from SB Nation is another NBA Draft expert that I’ve come to rely on throughout the college basketball season. He’s been making mocks for years, and he always publishes a thorough and complete early mock that has been remarkably accurate(ish).

#1 Jeremy Woo’s 2019 NBA Draft Big Board

Damn. You put a big board as the top 2019 NBA mock draft? Here’s the big secret about all “way too early” mocks. They are all basically just big boards because the only thing we really don’t know is where teams will be picking. And Woo is an awesome scout. He puts a lot of effort into his analysis. Another bookmark-worthy expert.