Every team tries to take the best player available for their needs with their top pick. But sometimes a team will end up with a steal of a sleeper, or an elite player they didn’t expect to drop. That’s why I am examining the top pick from each team to watch to be an impact player.
Boston- John Glesener, Army- 1st Round
The Cannons made their expected pick of Ryan Tucker, but after that they went in an interesting direction with Army star John Glesener. The attackman will be a part of a unit that will now be led by Will Manny and trade acquisition Ryan Young and he should play as soon as college season ends.
Charlotte- Ryan Belka, Drexel- 6th Round
The Hounds have had a connection with Loyola for a few seasons, and this season one of their east coast draft picks was Ryan Belka from the Drexel Dragons. Charlotte has made a lot of moves this off season, trading away Young and Matt Danowski, and this midfielder had 41 goals in his first two seasons.
Chesapeake- Erik Adamson, Denver- 2nd Round
The Bayhawks made a bit of a surprise move with the drafting of a Denver player like Adamson. But at the same time, head coach Dave Cottle always likes to say the Bayhawks take the best available. If they can get Adamson to play on the east coast, the midfielder is a great pick up.
Denver- Dan Taylor, Lehigh- 5th Round
Taylor was one of the Canadian players who fell later than he should have, and the Outlaws may have added the steal of the draft. One of the higher ranked prospects, another reason for his downfall could have been playing for a smaller school like Lehigh. Nonetheless, he was likely the top sub-fourth round pick of the entire draft.
Florida- Kevin Rice, Syracuse- 4th Round
Rice fell further than expected, eventually falling behind team mates Henry Schoomkaer and Hakeem Lecky who were ranked behind him. Florida’s roster is kind of a hodge-podge from around the country but he should fit right in. Kieran McArdle played right away and Rice should get the same opportunity.
Ohio- Ryan Izzo, UMass- 4th Round
Ohio finally drafted at the end of the second round when they added Jimmy Bitter, but they added UMass midfielder Ryan Izzo in the second round. Ohio is a very young team already and Izzo will add to that defense right away. They traded away Max Schmidt, so that defense needs to add more.
New York- Conrad Oberbeck, Yale- 6th Round
The Lizards added an attackman with their sixth round pick and that was first team All-Ivy and All-New England player Conrad Oberbeck. Oberbeck fell further than expected possibly, but the Lizards didn’t have many offensive holes to fill, so they kind of scored with this pick.
Rochester- Randy Staats, Syracuse- 4th Round
Staats, like Rice, fell further than expected. However, it’s not that bad for the Syracuse star, and he is a perfect fit for a Rattlers team that has built themselves off of the Orange roster. Staats fell due to his injury concerns of the past and he is also an indoor player, but he should play in Rochester and could become highly effective on their young roster.
