Grow the Game®

Last week, the PLL held its 2021 entry draft for former MLL talent and other unsigned players looking to break into the league.
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

PLL Entry Draft Divides MLL Talent

FlexForce

In what I’m sure will come as a massive shock to anybody reading this, Lyle Thompson was selected No. 1 overall in last week’s PLL Entry Draft. The former Bayhawk now joins his first PLL team, though also sort of joins his third MLL franchise, as he sticks with the expansion Cannons LC during its transition to the PLL as part of this year’s league merger

In all, the draft saw 24 PLL hopefuls selected from a pool of MLL players, as well as guys who had not yet played in the PLL, such as former NFLer Chris Hogan and former Army star Garrett Thul. The draft itself, held over Twitter Spaces in a first for sports in general, had a few hiccups early on in the process but ultimately saw a number of teams fill their biggest roster holes with some elite talent coming over from the former MLL.

For players not selected in the three-round PLL Entry Draft, there’s still a chance to make a roster. The PLL waiver period has now begun, with teams eligible to add players from the player pool over the next few days. Teams will likely be bringing in plenty of new guys to compete on their larger training camp rosters before beginning to trim it down. With a ton of talent left in the pool, and the college draft not even begun yet, expect these rosters to get even more stacked by the time the first game faces off in June.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of March 23-29, 2021:

Last Week in Lacrosse

-Johns Hopkins has once again fallen out of the rankings after suffering a loss to Penn State this weekend. Despite another top-five recruiting class, the Blue Jays are still trying to find a way forward. 

-The PLL waiver wire is open, with claims coming in until midday Tuesday. USL has you covered on a list of the best available players not selected in the Entry Draft. 

-Dox Aitken is back. The Virginia star has bounced back from a slow start to be dominant the past two games, including hitting the eventual game-winner against Notre Dame for the Hoos. 

-Keep an eye on Penn State over the next few games, as attackman Mac O’Keefe is now just six goals shy of breaking Justin Guterding’s all-time goals record for men’s DI.

-Just like he once did in the NFL, Chris Hogan will begin his PLL career as an undrafted free agent. The former Patriots receiver hopes to sign with a team for training camp soon. 

-In arguably the best game of the week, No. 1 RIT came back to ward off a furious upset bid by St. John Fisher, with Spencer Bell’s goal at the 5 second mark of the 4th quarter ultimately deciding the game. 

-Pure domination. There’s not much else to call what Jamie Ortega has been doing for UNC, as the star attacker notched her 22nd career game with at least five goals.

-TD Ierlan finally returned to play this week, albeit this time in a Denver helmet. The grad transfer went a perfect 14 for 14 in his Pios’ debut.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:

Top 3 Remains Intact: NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings Week 6 Ballot

Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya shared how and why they voted in their Week 6 ballots.

With the 2021 NCAA DI men's lacrosse season in full swing, the weekly rankings are back, listing out the nation's top-20 teams.

RIT Tigers – Is This the Year?? DIII Rundown

A big win for RIT had Ryan Kuhn wondering – is this the year?

The RIT Tigers are looking stronger and stronger every week, and a trip to championship weekend is appearing inevitable in 2021.

It’s the DII Life for Me

Florida Southern College head coach Marty Ward explains why it’s the DII life for him, and why it could be the same for you, too.

College lacrosse has changed a lot over the years. The DII level is not what it once was, and modern life in the division could be for you.

Jerry Ragonese Carves His Own Path – Going Offsides

Professional lacrosse player Jerry Ragonese was last week’s Going Offsides guest, and he also offered some further insight into his life and lacrosse career in our Athlete Spotlight series.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IEEDNo054XVtunUoU3phL?si=no6t0fA1SOyCSps8U7OIBg

Tewaaraton Watch 2021: Chris Gray Takes the Lead

The second update of our Tewaaraton Watch 2021 series saw Chris gray leapfrog into the top spot with some other movement throughout the top 10, too.

We put together our second installment of our Tewaaraton Watch 2021 series with Chris Gray of North Carolina jumping into the top spot.

PLL Entry Draft Roster Recaps

Nick Zoroya took a look at what all eight rosters in the PLL look like now after the league’s entry draft last week, breaking down four teams in each post. Check out part one (Archers, Atlas, Cannons, Chaos) and part two (Chrome, Redwoods, Waterdogs, Whipsnakes)!

The PLL entry draft was just held, the latest disruption to the league's rosters. This is what the first half of the PLL's rosters look now.

Duke-Syracuse Thriller, Towson Topples Loyola – DI Rundown Week 7

Ryan Conwell goes through what happened in the last week of Division I men’s lacrosse, from the Duke-Syracuse thriller to Towson pulling an upset and more.

Towson toppled Loyola, Duke and Syracuse played in a thriller, some important results in the America East and more happened in Week 7.