How Archers can rebuild offensive depth in 2025 College Draft
By Zach Carey | May 1, 2025
In both 2023 and 2024, the Utah Archers won the Cash App Championship without one of their All-Pro offensive players.Â
After Connor Fields went down early in the 2023 semifinals, the Archers brought in Reid Bowering for the Cash App Championship. The club toppled the Waterdogs 15-14, with Bowering scoring his first career goal in his first PLL game. When Tom Schreiber went down late in 2024, Jack VanOverbeke stepped up with six points in the two final games of the regular season to help clinch the Western Conference before Utah went back-to-back.
Bottom line, building out quality offensive depth has paid off for the Archers the last two summers.Â
This offseason, however, the rest of the league picked off that depth. The California Redwoods signed Ryan Aughavin and Jackson Morrill. The New York Atlas nabbed Cole Williams. The Denver Outlaws added VanOverbeke. Plus, Challen Rogers remains unsigned as his future with Utah is uncertain.Â
The Archers signed 6-foot-5 midfielder Richie Connell to supplement their depth on the lefty side. With 2024 second-round pick Dyson Williams and longtime Archers Fields, Mac O’Keefe and Ryan Ambler, Utah feels good about its stars and its depth there. The departures of Aughavin, Morrill and Rogers leave a hole behind them on the right, though.Â
That means that the Archers are going to target a righty midfielder to add depth and compete with Williams for the eighth and final offensive spot on the club’s 19-man roster.
I expect the Archers to draft a pole eighth overall. They draft to their needs. With Graeme Hossack (32) and Warren Jeffrey (28) getting older and Mason Woodward able to play either close or long-stick midfield, Utah looks set to take the best pole available at No. 8.Â
After that, they have some options with the Nos. 16, 18 and 32 selections. The club has considered packaging two of those picks to move up in the second round and ensure they get their choice of the second-tier offensive midfielders on draft night. That will likely be dependent on how the first seven picks play out and whether clubs drafting early in the second round are willing to trade back.
Whether Utah surprises and takes a midfielder eighth overall, moves up in the second round or stays at 16th overall and nabs a righty then, here are four guys who could make sense for the two-time defending champs:
Matt Traynor (Attack/Midfield - Penn State)
Traynor is the least likely of these prospects to be on the board for Utah at No. 16. If head coach and general manager Chris Bates wants to add to his pack of Nittany Lions, he’ll likely have to either take Traynor eighth overall or look to trade up.
That’s because Traynor is one of the surer things in this draft class. He has the positional versatility Utah loves, able to slide down to attack in case of injury while also being effective out of the box. Traynor is the best time-and-room shooter to come out of PSU since, well, O’Keefe. He has magical wrists and is effective from the outside from a variety of release points.Â
Traynor is also good as a finisher on the crease, as he reads defenses well and presents a big target for his teammates. That’s not to say he can’t create his own shot – he is nifty on the wing and around goal line extended. Traynor can also rip on the run with the wrists and the core strength to fling the ball to the far pipe while his momentum carries him in another direction.
After Andrew McAdorey and Sam English, Traynor is likely to be the third midfielder off the board next Tuesday. He could be gone by the time the Archers are first on the clock. So, if they want him, they’ll probably either have to draft for value at eighth overall or move up in the second round.
Mic Kelly (Midfield - Denver)
Kelly is a draft crush of mine. The Denver Pioneer has all the tools that make a good PLL midfielder. He has real size at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds along with a skillset that will have an instant impact this summer. Kelly has the speed and the strength to separate from defenders.Â
Kelly is a righty who can flawlessly split left. He shoots missiles on the run, can stretch defenses off-ball and can dodge from a variety of places on the field. He’s another step-down threat but is also an underrated passer.
Will Kelly be around at No. 16? That’s the question. If there is a run on goalies or poles late in the first round or early in the second, he could. He’s the most likely trade-up target for the Archers, in my opinion, with the potential to go in the middle of the second.Â
Aidan Carroll (Attack/Midfield - Georgetown)
Carroll is another option with experience playing both attack and midfield. He’s come into his own for the Hoyas over the last two years as Tucker Dordevic and then Graham Bundy Jr. graduated to the PLL ranks. After scoring 60 points (37G, 23A) in 17 games in 2024, he’s done even better this spring with 53 points (33G, 20A) through 13 contests.Â
The 6-foot, 190-pound Carroll is a do-it-all offensive prospect. He can dodge from just about anywhere, shoot well with either hand and jump-start offense by getting his teammates involved off his dodges. Carroll is especially effective at making contact with defenders before stepping away and shooting off their hip. The 2025 Big East Offensive Player of the Year also has a penchant for big moments with three overtime goals over the past two seasons.
Carroll could be a good option for the Archers at No. 16. There’s a chance someone takes him earlier. Inside Lacrosse’s Kevin Brown mocked Carroll to the Archers at No. 8 on Tuesday. I think he’ll go later than that and will be a quality second- or third-round pickup for whichever club selects him.
Hugh Kelleher (Midfield - Cornell)
Kelleher is another big-bodied righty who could add even more oomph to the Archers’ offense. The New York native is the 2025 Ivy League Midfielder of the Year after scoring 25 points for No. 1 Cornell in the regular season. Across his four years playing for the Big Red, he’s notched 113 total points.Â
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound bruiser can drop the hammer out of the box with a heck of an outside shot. He dodges downhill like a charging bull. Few short sticks will be able to handle his size and strength, and his outside shooting ability should put pressure on defenses off-ball.
Kelleher is a more raw prospect than Traynor, Kelly and Carroll. He might be a bit of a reach at No. 16, but Utah has shown in past drafts that it’s willing to take a player higher than expected if the club sees him as its guy. Should Kelly, Traynor and Caroll go off the board before the 16th pick and the Archers stay put, Kelleher could be a high-upside selection for them.
