Could This Year's NBA Draft be the Strongest for the Maryland Terrapins?

With a plethora of talent leaving Maryland for the NBA draft, the Terrapins could have the strongest team draft in their history.

While Maryland stands in the flux of rebuilding or contending with a brand new roster anchored by Melo Trimble, the NBA is welcoming the roster that took the Terrapins to the Sweet 16. With four of the five starters taking off to the draft June 23, this easily will become the largest draft night for Maryland.

Center Diamond Stone is looking to be drafted late first round while small forward Jake Layman and power forward Robert Carter Jr. are projected to go mid to late second round. The fourth starter, Rasheed Sulaimon, is projected to go undrafted but he could be a sleeper choice at the very end of the draft.

If all three were drafted this would be by far the most successful draft in Maryland history. 40 players have made pro from Maryland since 1954 with Gene Shue. Shue gave the school a good name as he was a five All-Star continuously while averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Nine NBA drafts saw multiple Maryland players taken and 2016 will most likely be the tenth. Three of those seasons saw three players taken with the most recent occurring in 2002.

With the trio of starters all projected to land on a professional squad it becomes a guessing game on who will carve out a successful career.

The average Terrapin who were drafted averaged a career of 6.2 years. Six of the 40 players only lasted one year in the NBA while 11 players lasted in the league 10 seasons are more. Maryland is certainly no Duke or UCLA but with this year's draft and with Melo Trimble likely going pro the following year, Maryland is developing into a stronger college powerhouse of talent.

Buck Williams lasted 17 seasons in the league with the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Portland Trailblazers. He averaged 12.8 points and 10 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting and remains easily one of the most successful NBA players to come out of Maryland. He was a three time All-Star for the New Jersey Nets, all which occurred in his first five years of his career.

Brad Davis was another big name that started as a Terrapin, as he averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 assists per game for the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks honored his 12 years of service with his number retired.

Steve Francis, who played from 1999-2008, was a three time All-Star for the Rockets as he averaged over 20 points in two of the three All-Star campaigns.

It isn't a deep history of talent, but that just leaves room for the three new draftees to become the greatest NBA players to come from Maryland.

Steve Blake, Greivis Vasquez and Alex Len are the only current players who played for Maryland. Baring a retirement from 15 year veteran Steve Blake, the number of current players will double with Diamond Stone, Jake Layman and Robert Carter Jr.

Diamond Stone will join a select few of players to be drafted in the first round from Maryland while the Terrapins will look to have the strongest draft in the school's history