Philly's 21st-century top 3 draft picks: Did they pan out? Eh... not really.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected guard VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in Wednesday's 2025 NBA Draft.

Looking at the recent record of top 3 draft picks in this city... yeesh. The hope is that Edgecombe can outperform them.

Let's go through every time a Philadelphia sports team has picked in the top 3 of their draft in the 21st century.

Phillies

2016, pick 1: OF Mickey Moniak

The Phillies drafted Mickey Moniak first overall out of La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California. He worked his way up through the minors and debuted with the Phillies in September 2020. Moniak spent the next two years going back and forth between Lehigh and Philly; in 2021 alone, he was recalled and optioned five times. After an excellent 2022 spring training, he was a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but a hit-by-pitch broke his hand in the final spring training game. In August 2022, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels, along with OF Jadiel Sanchez, for RHP Noah Syndergaard. The Angels released him this spring, and he's now hitting .240 with the Colorado Rockies. While Moniak is definitely a major league caliber player, he never quite lived up to his first overall pick billing.

The largest signing bonuses given to Phillies draft picks in franchise history:

2016- $6.1 Million to Mickey Moniak
2018- $5.85 Million to Alec Bohm
2017- $5.1 Million to Adam Haseley
2001- $4.2 Million to Gavin Floyd
2020- $4.075 Million to Mick Abelpic.twitter.com/f9YOzPKhio

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 20, 2025

2018, pick 3: 3B Alec Bohm

Alec Bohm's story in Philadelphia is still being written. He was drafted out of Wichita State, where he hit .317 over three seasons. When he was called up in August 2020, he briefly took the league by storm; during the COVID-shortened season, he hit .338 in 180 plate appearances. He was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, which ultimately went to Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams. However, after his shining start, Bohm's defensive inconsistencies drew attention through 2021 and 2022. After marked efforts to improve his defense at third base, he became an everyday player again and started his first All-Star game in 2024. He's batting .283 this season after a rough start. The jury is still out on Bohm.

Eagles

2016, pick 2: QB Carson Wentz

The roller coaster that was Carson Wentz was drafted out of North Dakota State, becoming the highest-drafted FCS player ever. He started all 16 games his rookie year, and in 2017... well, we all know how that season went for him. Wentz was the frontrunner for NFL MVP honors before he tore his ACL in Week 14 and took a back seat to Nick Foles during the Eagles' first Super Bowl run. Stories started to emerge about Wentz being unhappy during that playoff run, and he dealt with various injuries over the next three seasons. He was given a massive contract extension in 2019, but after he led the league in interceptions with 15 in 2020, the Eagles traded Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. The draft picks involved in that trade ultimately turned into DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Kyron Johnson, Jalen Carter, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Take a bow, Howie.) Wentz is currently a free agent.

December 29, 2019

With Eagles fans taking over MetLife Stadium for the season finale - Carson Wentz leads a receiving core of Greg Ward, Deontay Burnett, Robert Davis, and Joshua Perkins to their 4th straight win and the NFC East title

What a time 😅#TBT pic.twitter.com/2HwegcYbNc

— Eagles Fan Central (@PhilaFanCentral) October 17, 2024

Flyers

2007, pick 2: LW James van Riemsdyk

Van Riemsdyk was drafted directly after Patrick Kane. He made his NHL debut in October 2009, and during the Flyers' 2010 playoff run, he scored three goals and three assists as a rookie. Unfortunately, his first Flyers tenure ended with a slew of injuries in 2011 and 2012, and he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Luke Schenn in 2012. Van Riemsdyk returned to Philly as a free agent in 2018, and while his second tenure was also marred by frequent injuries, he was a a consistent offensive player, registering his 500th career point in 2021. He signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent in 2023, and he is currently with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

2017, pick 2: C Nolan Patrick

Nolan Patrick made his NHL debut at 19 years old in October 2017. He was considered the complete NHL package with sky-high potential, and the Flyers drafted him despite his previous injury issues. Unfortunately, those issues only worsened; after a promising start to his career, Patrick began to suffer from chronic migraines that greatly affected his play. He missed the entire 2019 season, and when he returned in 2020, he struggled mightily, scoring just nine points in 52 games. In 2021, he was traded to the Nashville Predators, who immediately traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights. Patrick played his last NHL game with the Golden Knights in March 2022, and quietly retired in 2023 at just 25 years old due to his migraine disorder. What might've been. Just ask Bob Clarke:

Sixers

2010, pick 2: SF Evan Turner

Evan Turner was a revelation at Ohio State, winning nearly all of the major player of the year awards – Wooden, Naismith, Robertson, Fox Sports, NABC, TSN and AP – in 2010. Unfortunately, his college success didn't translate to the NBA level. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game over four seasons in Philadelphia. Turner was shipped out to the Indiana Pacers during 'The Process,' along with Lavoy Allen, in 2014 in exchange for Danny Granger and a second-round draft pick. He played for the Pacers, Celtics, Trail Blazers and Hawks before retiring in 2020.

Those who say, “What did we do to deserve Joel Embiid and James Harden on the Sixers?!” clearly didn’t live through the days of Evan Turner being the #1 option in clutch time. Sixers fans deserves this and then some @PhillyFanLife pic.twitter.com/WQ2oI0lD0H

— Matt Szczypiorski (@matt_ski15) February 24, 2022

2014, pick 3: C Joel Embiid

Where to begin? Joel Embiid is absolutely the most successful athlete on this list, across all four sports. Drafted in 2014, injuries famously delayed his NBA debut until 2016. Since then, Embiid has become a seven-time All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA team, a three-time member of the All-Defensive team, and a two-time NBA scoring champion. He won the NBA MVP award in 2023 and won a gold medal with the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. However, while the list of Embiid's accolades is long, his list of injuries might be longer. The 7-footer's legs have not been kind to him, and he's unfortunately been the victim of numerous injuries and ailments uncommon in basketball, including three different facial fractures and Bell's palsy. Embiid, now 31, is expected to be ready for training camp. We'll see where that goes.

2015, pick 3: C Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor was a staple of the Process years for the Sixers. In his first season, even despite the team's comically awful 10-72 record, Okafor finished fifth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting and made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with the 76ers, injuries often kept Okafor off the court during his tenure. He was a subject of Bryan Colangelo's anonymous Twitter wrath in 2017, and he was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets that December. Okafor bounced around a few more NBA and international teams after that, and he is currently playing for the Noblesville Boom of the G League.

2016, pick 1: PF Ben Simmons

Ah, yes, Ben Simmons, the cover athlete of NBA 2k19. (The Australian version, anyway.) Simmons's rise and fall in Philadelphia has been well documented, but let's rehash it again anyway. He was drafted in 2016, sat out the 2016-17 season with a broken foot, and proceeded to win the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year award to much public outcry. Thus followed a pattern of Simmons posting offseason workout videos, hype rising, and hype falling as soon as the next season began. Then came the 2021 Atlanta Hawks playoff series: he shot 33% from the free-throw line, he didn't attempt a single fourth quarter shot in five out of seven games, and he notoriously passed up on a wide-open dunk in Game 7. 

After that, Simmons declared his intentions to be traded, and he sat out the 2021-22 season. The repeated fines for missing games made him the most-fined player in NBA history. Simmons was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade in 2022. His play steeply declined as he continued to deal with injuries, and Brooklyn bought out his contract in February 2025. He's currently with the Los Angeles Clippers.

2017, pick 1: PG Markelle Fultz

Markelle Fultz and Nolan Patrick are probably the saddest stories on this list. Fultz was the consensus first overall pick. Hopes were high for the 76ers' young core of Fultz, Simmons and Embiid; however, a mysterious shoulder injury began to decimate Fultz's ability to shoot. Just eleven days after his NBA debut, the 76ers shut him down indefinitely after a four-game stretch where he shot 33% from the field and attempted no three-pointers. He returned late in his rookie year, but the 76ers continued to poorly manage the situation when his struggles continued into his sophomore season. Fultz was eventually diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), a disorder that affects nerves between the neck and shoulder and was said to greatly impact Fultz's ability to shoot a basketball. Fultz was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2019 and came off the bench there for five seasons. He is currently with the Sacramento Kings. 

2025, pick 3: VJ Edgecombe

We'll see!