So the 2009 NBA Draft goes down this Thursday, June 25, in NYC.

This past week, Ryan has been busy figuring out what kind of player the Hornets should draft with the 21st pick. The conclusion has been that the available bigs leave a lot to be desired (unless DeJuan Blair slips through somehow), there are some intriguing wings we could snag, while our best potential prospect will likely be a ballhandler.

Now it’s time to scour the mock drafts and see who the Hornets are projected to pick. I’ll run through the top five most popular picks here. You can see the full list of mocks this list was compiled from at the bottom of the post.

1. Eric Maynor | 6-3 PG from VCU

Five of the 30 mocks drafts I reviewed have us taking Maynor with the 21st pick, but most expect him to go in the early- to mid-teens. He’s a senior so he’s probably more NBA-ready than some other prospects, but he didn’t play in a major conference and there are concerns about his size/strength. The bright side is that he’s a well-rounded player with a knack for getting in the lane and finishing with a variety of layups, floaters and scoops. Que highlight video with cheesy soundtrack (best stuff after the 2-minute mark):

2. Marcus Thornton | 6-4 SG from LSU

The local kid. As with Maynor, five of the 30 mock drafts I found expect the Hornets to pick Thornton, but he’s listed second here because the other 25 mocks all have him going later. Ryan found him to be the best wing prospect available at or around pick 21, noting that he has potential as a second unit volume scorer. But do the Hornets really need more depth on the wing?

Two highlight videos for Thornton:

3. Chase Budinger | 6-7 G/F from Arizona

Budinger is all over the mock drafts, some expecting him to be drafted in the mid-teens, while others see him falling to the second round. He seems to have all the tools to succeed at the NBA level, but there are question marks about his work ethic, toughness and focus.

Best videos I could find of Budinger:

4. Jeff Teague | 6-2 G from Wake Forest

Three of the 30 mocks have us taking Teague. Ryan found him to be the second-best guard prospect available in that range, with Ty Lawson first (two mocks have us picking Lawson, and about 2/3 of them expect Lawson to be picked ahead of Teague). Teague sounds like a Jannero Pargo type, in that he can push the tempo and score in a variety of ways, but running a set offense is not his strength.

Teague highlight mix:

5. Terrence Williams | 6-6 G/F from Louisville

Ryan was excited by everything about this guy, except for his scoring. Combine his poor offense with the fact that he’s a wing player, and the Hornets wouldn’t be filling a need if they picked him. He’s a great athlete and he does all the little things, but he wouldn’t make sense in New Orleans.

Williams highlight video:

The mock drafts used to compile the above list. Click the headers to sort.

In case you missed them, here are Ryan’s recent draft posts:

• The Value of a Draft Pick
• Should the Hornets Draft a Big Man?
• Can the Hornets Land a Solid Wing Player in the Draft?
• Deep List of Guard Prospects May Fill a Hornets Need