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đź“ť DRAFT DAY FINAL MOCK
Projecting All Four-Rounds of The 2024 PLL Draft | NCAA Tournament Drama
Kevin Boilard
May 07, 2024
PLL DRAFT DAY IS HERE!
The Lacrosse Network will be on-site at ESPN Studios in Bristol, Connecticut for the 2024 PLL Draft. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for live coverage throughout the day, and be sure to tune in live as picks are made on ESPNU (and ESPN+) starting at 7 p.m. ET.
To get you up to speed, we’ve got a four-round mock draft with projections for all 32 picks. Here’s a look at the first round…
With the No. 1 overall pick, our mock draft has the Denver Outlaws picking a generational prospect in Duke attackman Brennan O’Neill. Although there has been a growing chorus for Virginia’s Connor Shellenberger to go first overall, this mock cuts through the potential smokescreen and has him going to the New York Atlas at No. 2.
Maryland defender Ajax Zappitello breaks up the “big three” by going third overall to the Whipsnakes, allowing the Carolina Chaos to scoop up star Notre Dame attackman Pat Kavanagh with Pick No. 4. The Atlas shore up the goalie position by taking Kavanagh’s Fighting Irish teammate, Liam Entenmann, one pick later.
The first midfielder comes off the board at No. 6, where we have the Boston Cannons selecting Shane Knobloch out of Rutgers. A pair of long poles round out the the first eight picks, with Duke’s Kenny Brower going to the Philly Waterdogs and Albany’s Jake Piseno going to the Utah Archers.
Keep scrolling for the rest of our mock draft and more!
🔮 Full Mock Draft
There will still be some pro-ready talent on the board after the first round. Here’s how we see things shaking out in Rounds 2-4 of our mock draft…
In the second round, we have a few familiar attackmen mocked. The Outlaws get their quarterback in Yale’s Matt Brandau, who led the country in points this season (101). The Cannons swipe a back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in Penn State’s TJ Malone. The Archers pick up Virginia’s all-time leading goal-scorer in Payton Cormier.
Teams continue to fill their needs in Rounds 3 and 4 of our mock draft. The Waterdogs (Duke’s Jake Naso) and Cannons (Maryland’s Luke Wierman) both pick up face-off guys, after going most of last year without such a specialist. High Point attackman Brayden Mayea is our “Mr. Irrelevant,” going to the Archers with the 32nd overall pick.
Let us know what you think of this mock draft by replying to this email!
🍿 NCAA Tournament Drama
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show was on Sunday. The final seedings and first-round matchups sparked some debate. Here’s a look at the tournament field, followed by three major takeaways…
Maryland too high? The Terps were given the 7-seed and a home game against Princeton in the first round. There was a serious debate about whether they would even get into the tournament, let alone a seed. Their eight wins are the fewest of any team in the tournament, and they lost by 10 goals to Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals.
Michigan and Princeton un-seeded? Michigan and Princeton flew under the radar during the regular season, but they are each playoff-tested. Michigan ran the table and won the Big Ten Tournament for the second-year in a row, while Princeton went back-to-back in the Ivy League. Their respective conference championships were not enough to warrant a seed from the selection committee.
Biggest snub? It might be time for the NCAA to consider an expanded tournament field or some more play-in games, because some quality teams will be watching the tournament from home this year. Penn, Cornell and Yale were each left out after falling in the Ivy League Tournament. A lot of people wanted to see Army in the tournament, too, after the Black Knights peaked at No. 1 in the national rankings earlier this season.
👀 Coming This Thursday…
Last week, we introduced The Mitchell Pehlke Lacrosse Show, and the first episode is dropping at the perfect time. Tune in on Thursday for reaction to the draft and a preview of the NCAA Tournament.
You can watch this show on TLN YouTube. The audio-only podcast version of the show will also be available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Expect Pehlke and the gang to come firing with fresh takes and funny moments. There will also be an interview with a special guest who’s a projected top pick in the PLL Draft (stay tuned to see who it is!)
📺 This Week’s TV & Streaming Info
NCAA streaming info courtesy of Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, May 7:
7 p.m. — Premier Lacrosse League Draft (ESPNU)
Wednesday, May 8:
7 p.m. — Sacred Heart at Albany (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 11:
12 p.m. — St. Joe’s at Virginia (ESPNU)
2:30 p.m. — Utah at Duke (ESPNU)
5 p.m. — Michigan at Denver (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m. — Princeton at Maryland (ESPNU)