The PLL Entry Draft has come and gone. Lyle Thompson is off the board, and a slew of team needs have been already filled. That means it’s time for our 2021 PLL Mock College Draft a few weeks before the actual 2021 PLL College Draft is scheduled for Monday, April 26.
After both the Entry Draft and the subsequent waiver period, we’ve got a much better idea of team needs than the last time we did this, so obviously we should get every single pick right this time.
As always, this is a mock of the 2021 PLL College Draft based on what I would do as the GM of each franchise. The coaches who actually make these decisions all know the game and the players involved better than me, and probably also did more research. Still, it’s a fun exercise. Besides, who doesn’t want to believe their team could end up with Michael Sowers?
Without further ado, let’s do this.
2021 PLL Mock College Draft
Round 1, Pick 1: Atlas LC selects Michael Sowers, attackman, Duke
Sowers might not be leading the Tewaaraton race like we all expected before the season, but he’s still the surefire top prospect in this draft class. With Atlas having already traded both Rob Pannell and Ryan Brown this offseason, space has clearly been made for Sowers to become their go-to X attackman from day one, a role that he’s primed to thrive in once he’s done at Duke. Whether it ends up being Dan Bucaro or Chris Cloutier filling the third attack spot, this offense should be getting quite the influx of young talent heading into 2021.
Round 1, Pick 2: Waterdogs LC selects Chris Gray, attackman, North Carolina
This is the point where I remind everybody that eligibility for this draft is an absolute nightmare, given COVID-19’s extending of eligibility for players, which has some effects on my PLL mock college draft. As Gray is a senior, I’ve got him listed on my big board, but I know that, for example, Paul Carcaterra doesn’t, in anticipation of Gray returning to UNC for 2022. If he does go back to school, Waterdogs could go a number of different directions. Still, if Gray is here, I expect him to go at this spot. Waterdogs opted to draft a defenseman in the Entry Draft, meaning I still see attack as its biggest need. Gray, our Tewaaraton leader through half the season, instantly becomes the best offensive player on this roster, with the possible exception of Zach Currier.
Round 1, Pick 3: Chrome LC selects JT Giles-Harris, defenseman, Duke
Rumors that Giles-Harris could be seeking a fifth year to play football have died down substantially over the past year, meaning I no longer worry about putting him on my board. The Duke captain has long been the best defender in this class and would fit in nicely with the rest of the Duke guys on Chrome, which seem to be looking to get a bit younger on that side of the ball. Giles-Harris is an outstanding defenseman and should help make life easier for either John Galloway or Sean Sconone.
Round 1, Pick 4: Redwoods LC selects TD Ierlan, face-off specialist, Denver
Redwoods missed out on adding the Entry Draft’s premier FOGO, but that’s not happening again here. Faceoff has been the biggest need for the Trees ever since Greg Gurenlian retired, and they finally get a true replacement for Beast here by adding arguably the best college faceoff man of all time. Ierlan instantly slots in as a day one starter and arguably a top-three FOS in the entire league.
Round 1, Pick 5: Archers LC selects Ryan Terefenko, midfield, Ohio State
Archers did a lot to improve over the offseason. Hossack is a huge get for its defense, and it got Connor Fields to add to its ridiculous stable of attackmen. With no real glaring need for this team, we go ahead and get a guy who can damn near do it all in Ohio State’s Ryan Terefenko. An elite SSDM who can just as easily play offense or out on the wings, Terefenko adds another jack-of-all-trades piece to a team loaded with guys who can play multiple spots.
Round 1, Pick 6: Chaos LC selects Jared Conners, long stick midfielder, Virginia
The best LSM in this class ends up on a team that has two extremely competent LSMs. No matter. The Chaos already filled their biggest need in drafting Max Adler, and so they have the freedom to go with the best player available here. That’s arguably Jeff Teat, but he’s expected to return to Cornell, so why not take a guy who has been compared to reigning 2018 Worlds MVP Michael Ehrhardt? Conners gives them defensive flexibility and a great weapon in transition.
Round 1, Pick 7: Whipsnakes LC selects Jared Bernhardt, attack, Maryland
I hate this. I hate that I wrote this, I hate that it’s possible, etc. The idea that the two-time champs could add one of the most physically-gifted offensive players in the country to an attack line already featuring Matt Rambo and Zed Williams is so unfair for everyone. Still, why not do this if you’re the Whips? They’ve got a ton of former Maryland guys, they reunite two of the Bernhardts, and they instantly add “best attack line in the PLL” to a team that already featured the league’s best defense. Apologies to the rest of the PLL.
Round 1, Pick 8: Cannons LC selects Jake Carraway, attack, Georgetown
The idea of Carraway getting to be a second option to Lyle Thompson is a scary one from a defensive perspective. He’s used to getting pretty much 100% of the focus from opponents, and now he just gets to cook 1v1 against a team’s second pole? Sounds like a great time for both Carraway and the Cannons, who should be looking to build up the offensive talent around Lyle to compete while he’s still in his prime.
Round 2, Pick 9: Cannons LC selects Tre Leclair, midfielder, Ohio State
Speaking of which, let’s go ahead and add a giant with a cannon of a shot to that offense as well. Leclair can run at attack or out of the box, giving Cannons more positional flexibility, and his box instincts should pair nicely with Thompson.
Round 2, Pick 10: Atlas LC selects Tehoka Nanticoke, attack, Albany
Atlas decided to blow it up this offseason and get younger. It can turn that rebuild into a reload with the amount of talent in this class. Nanticoke is a bull dodging fiend who can run at attack or middie and provides an entirely different dimension to this offense. Imagine being able to roll out an offensive six of Michael Sowers, Eric Law, Chris Cloutier, Bryan Costabile, Dan Bucaro, and Tehoka.
Round 2, Pick 11: Atlas LC selects Peter Dearth, midfielder, Syracuse
With back-to-back picks, the Bulls go ahead and add help on the other side of the midfield here. They don’t really have a go-to SSDM, but they do now with the addition of Dearth. A consistent defensive force for the Orange, Dearth will fit in well in solar blue.
Round 2, Pick 12: Chrome LC selects Mac O’Keefe, attack, Penn State
Matt Gaudet had a good rookie year in 2020, but if Chrome has the opportunity to replace its finisher with the guy who will likely break existing Chrome attackman Justin Guterding’s all-time goals record, why not try that? Gaudet can still play as both a rotational attackman or a middie, and an attack group of Wolf, Guterding, and O’Keefe is worth approximately a zillion goals.
Round 2, Pick 13: Archers LC selects Gibson Smith, defenseman, Georgetown
The Archers have a solid defense, but adding a guy like Smith could push them into another tier on that side of the ball. Archers already have what appears to be an elite offense on paper, so we add some defensive help here in order to shore up that side and hopefully prevent as many shootouts this year.
Round 2, Pick 14: Chaos LC selects Connor Kirst, midfield, Rutgers
A bit of a slip here, if I’m being honest, for Kirst, who might be the best pure midfielder on offense in this whole draft class. This sort of gives Chaos an American line and a box line, with Kirst slotting in nicely with Jake Froccaro and Sergio Salcido as the more field-oriented side of the offense.
Round 2, Pick 15: Chaos LC selects Dox Aitken, midfield, Virginia
And so ends the fall of true midfielders, as Chaos swoops in to steal two of my top-five midfielders in this class. The Chaos attack has been great, but it could really use more plays out of its midfield. Aitken is a guy capable not just of getting goals, but of providing a quarterback up top to help steer the ship.
Round 2, Pick 16: Whipsnakes LC selects Logan Wisnauskas, midfield, Maryland
I can’t honestly even tell if this is a bit at this point. Look, it’s not my fault that Maryland keeps cranking out top talent, and it’s not Coach Stagnitta’s fault that these great Maryland players are constantly becoming available to him. Long may the Terps alumni squad reign.
Think we missed anybody in this two-round mock? Well, the good news is that the real draft is actually four rounds long. There are a ton of talented players left on the board and another 16 picks to be made. Let us know who you think should be drafted on Twitter or Instagram, and tune April 26 to see how the real 2021 PLL College Draft plays out!
