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Beau Pederson Prospect Profile

2024 College Draft Prospect Profile: Beau Pederson

By Adam Lamberti | Apr 25, 2024

The short-stick defensive midfielder position in the professional game has quickly turned into a more valuable position over the past few years. Tre Leclaire (Utah Archers) and Sergio Perkovic (Carolina Chaos) were both prolific offensive threats in college, but have been transformed into more two-way midfielders as teams realize the importance of transitioning the ball from offense to defense.

Last year, we saw just how vital rookie SSDMs could be to a team's success. Utah Archers rookie selections Connor Maher and Piper Bond had terrific campaigns en route to the first ever title for Utah. 

Beau Pederson (Michigan) could make a similar impact as a rookie, immediately bolstering a team’s rope unit and providing an offensive spark.

Pederson reminds me of Zach Goodrich (Boston Cannons) for their physical on-ball play styles. Both are taller and more physical defenders that like to get into an attacker's body and use the V-hold or Reverse V-hold check to disrupt, and even sometimes topple their attacker.

Pederson’s combination of strength and speed is rare. He is a natural athlete; his father played football at the University of Michigan. Standing 6-foot-4, Pederson will be one of the biggest SSDMs in the league.

On top of all that, Pederson offers enticing offensive upside. He started as an offensive midfielder at Princeton as a freshman, so he’s equipped with an offensive skill set.

The difference with Pederson and other defensive midfielders is that he can generate his own shots in settled offense.

Earlier this season against Marquette, Pederson dodged a long-stick midfielder and finished with a left-handed (his off-hand) on-the-run shot to the upper corner.

For an offensive midfielder, hammering a shot like that with your weak hand is impressive. For a defensive midfielder, it’s borderline unfair.

With the faster pace in the PLL where the shot clock is 32 seconds off a faceoff win, Pederson’s ability to create offense is that much more important. Think about how the Maryland Whipsnakes kept Michael Ehrhardt on for the whole offensive possession after a faceoff win and the threat he posed. That’s what Pederson can bring to the table, and I expect him to be an offensive threat immediately for a team.

The knock on Pederson is that he can be beaten by quicker midfielders or attackers when he’s not able to get into their body, like fellow 2024 PLL Draft prospect Shane Knobloch did this spring.

But then again, guarding a jitterbug like Knobloch, Michael Sowers, or any other quicker attacker is difficult in its own right.

He feels like a safe bet to be the first SSDM off the board (I don’t count Syracuse’s Jake Stevens as an SSDM) like Paul Carcaterra mentioned on broadcast right before Pederson scored against Johns Hopkins.

I wouldn’t count any team out to select Pederson, as the SSDM position is always a need for teams, but look for the California Redwoods, Utah Archers, or New York Atlas to try and nab Pederson in the second round (if he’s still available).

Player Comparison: Part Danny Logan, Part Zach Goodrich

Lamberti’s Projected Draft Pick: #13 to the California Redwoods

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