The 2025 College Draft is officially in the books. Here are my instant reactions to each team's draft class:

Philadelphia Waterdogs

No. 1: CJ Kirst, Attack, Cornell
No. 9: Jake Taylor, Attack, Notre Dame
No. 15: Dylan Hess, SSDM, Florida/Georgetown
No. 23: Ben Wayer, LSM, Virginia
No. 25: Jimmy Freehill, Defense, Denver

The Waterdogs had a great draft.

Kirst was easily the best player in the class, and you can’t overlook how important he will be to this offense. But adding Taylor in the second round could make this offense special.

Taylor is an elite inside finisher and should score plenty of goals with Kirst, Michael Sowers and Kieran McArdle feeding him the ball.

I’m not sure how the attack line shakes out, but that’s a good problem to have if you’re Philadelphia.

Taylor needs to be starting at attack; he doesn’t have the skill set to play midfield. Sowers should stay at X with his ability to feed or dodge to either hand, which leaves the lefty attack spot between McArdle and Kirst.

I’d expect McArdle to start on the lefty side, which leaves Kirst running out of the box. 

Eventually, I could see Kirst overtaking McArdle’s position at some point in the season if the offense isn’t flowing, but for now, Kirst seems primed to come out of the box.

I like the upside and athleticism of Hess at the short-stick defensive midfield position, but getting Wayer and Freehill in the third and fourth rounds is what made this draft for the Waterdogs.

Wayer’s offensive ability is especially appealing in the PLL. 

I highlighted him pre-draft as a polarizing prospect who could slide because coaches question his one-on-one defensive ability. I think it’s an overblown concern. 

A lot of the top LSMs in the league aren’t actually lockdown defenders, and quite frankly, the LSMs in this league are judged on their point and ground ball totals.

Last season's LSM of the Year, Tyler Carpenter, only had six caused turnovers, but his seven points (4G, 2T, 1A) and 41 ground balls were what won him the award.

It’s not far-fetched to think Wayer could put up those numbers in the PLL. He might already be one of the best offensive-minded poles in the league, but his stock was hurt by how bad Virginia was this season.

The same could be said for Freehill. He’s a hulking defender who has terrific feet and was the 2024 Big East Defender of the Year, but Denver missed the NCAA Tournament, like Virgnia, which likely skewed how coaches saw Freehill as a prospect.

Both have opportunities to start right away in the PLL and be impact players.

Favorite Pick: Ben Wayer at No. 23

California Redwoods

No. 2: Andrew McAdorey, Midfield, Duke
No. 3: Sam English, Midfield, Syracuse/Princeton
No. 10: Chris Kavanagh, Attack, Notre Dame
No. 29: Carter Rice, SSDM, Syracuse
No. 31: Griffin Schutz, Midfield, Virginia

The Redwoods were the other big winners of this draft.

McAdorey was someone general manager Joe Spallina had coached throughout middle school and high school, so he’s familiar with the Duke star's skill set. He can play attack, midfield, defensive midfield, you name it. His value comes in the middle of the field.

And then, with the very next pick, they grab English, someone who has the same skill set. 

Both of these players will make their presence felt all over the field, and in a class that was thin at the midfield position, the Redwoods got the top two in the draft.

That in itself would likely be enough to be considered a successful draft, but then they had my No. 2 prospect in Kavanagh fall into their lap in the second round.

A two-time national champion with a lethal righty release and ability to make plays anywhere on the offensive end, Kavanagh should start right away on the righty side and add pop to an offense that was at or near the bottom in every offensive category last season.

Rice and Schutz are fine picks but will have an uphill battle to crack the gameday roster.

Favorite Pick: Chris Kavanagh at No. 10

Boston Cannons

No. 4: Coulter Mackesy, Attack, Princeton
No. 12: Mic Kelly, Midfield, Denver
No. 28: Ben Ramsey, SSDM, Notre Dame

The Cannons covered all of their bases.

A lefty attackman was their only dire need, and they took a good one in Mackesy, a smooth dodger and shooter who should fit in exceptionally with Marcus Holman and Asher Nolting.

Kelly has the potential to become an elite midfielder. He reminds me of Jack Hannah with a tall, slender frame and has a unique combination of Canadian and American style to his game.

And then to get Ramsey in the fourth round, especially after the news that Bubba Fairman would start the season on IR? He was my top SSDM, and I’m still pretty shocked he was available there -- as, I’m sure, was head coach and general manager Brian Holman.

Favorite Pick: Ben Ramsey at No. 28

Utah Archers

No. 5: Brendan Lavelle, Defense, Penn
No. 18: Sam King, Attack, Harvard
No. 21: Mitchell Dunham, Defense, Richmond
No. 32: Bryce Ford, Midfield, Maryland/Fairfield

The back-to-back champions didn’t have a ton of needs coming into this draft but were still able to upgrade their roster.

I liked the trade up from No. 8 to No. 5 to get Lavelle. Sure, he could have fallen to the end of the first round, but I think there was a chance the Atlas were going to take him at No. 6.

Defense was also the biggest need for the Archers if you had to nitpick. Graeme Hossack is 32 and won’t be playing forever, and they were relatively thin depth-wise at the close defense position. Lavelle has the chance to start right away and gives flexibility for Utah to move Mason Woodward wherever they want to defensively.

King was another great value pick. He’s undersized but always finds a way to get a shot off and is really skilled. He can dodge, shoot, feed and finish for this offense.

I think King starting on that righty attack side with Connor Fields and Mac O’Keefe is a real possibility, which would allow Matt Moore to slide back to midfield, where he played his rookie season.

Dunham is another one of those poles that head coach and general manager Chris Bates will reach on, but I have no problem with it. It happens every year, and the Archers keep winning, so no one can really critique them. He’s a mean lefty Canadian who causes a lot of turnovers and is a very cerebral defender.

And then Ford is a midfielder I really liked as someone who can shoot it with both hands, feet set or on the run, and does a great job of letting the game come to him and playing within the offense.

Favorite Pick: Sam King at No. 18

New York Atlas

No. 6: Matt Traynor, Midfield, Penn State
No. 14: Max Krevsky, Midfield, Yale
No. 22: Michael Grace, LSM, Syracuse
No. 30: Hugh Kelleher, Midfield, Cornell

Like the Archers, the Atlas do not have a ton of needs on paper but still did a great job of adding depth and value.

Traynor was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and has a pro-ready skill set. He’s not a burner of a dodger, but he can beat you when he needs to and is an elite finisher off-ball.

He projects as a savvy midfielder who should score 12-plus goals each season and can also play attack if Xander Dickson goes down with an injury.

Krevsky had been rising up coaches' big boards because of his athleticism. He played offensive midfield at Yale but projects as a two-way midfielder in the PLL.

Danny Logan, Payton Rezanka and Chet Comizio have been fantastic, but there’s virtually no depth behind them. Krevsky can provide that, and I also think he has the skill set to play offensive midfield for New York, as well.

Grace is a good selection as an intelligent pole who is great off the ground. I’m not sure whether he’ll be used as a long-stick midfielder or close defender, but again, it’s a good problem to have.

And then Kelleher could be an absolute steal. It’s been reported he’s been looking to play football as a graduate transfer, but if he decides to go to the PLL this summer, he could play immediately as a big-bodied offensive midfielder with a pro-level shot.

Favorite Pick: Hugh Kelleher at No. 30

Maryland Whipsnakes

No. 7: Aidan Carroll, Attack, Georgetown
No. 17: Scott Smith, Defense, Johns Hopkins
No. 20: Emmet Carroll, Goalie, Penn
No. 24: Christian Mazur, SSDM, Army

The Aidan Carroll selection might have surprised people, but I really liked it.

A PLL coach told me pre-draft that Carroll reminded him a little bit of Matt Campbell with his ability to get to the cage whenever he wanted with either hand. He will have an opportunity to slide into that midfield room and be the top option immediately.

The Whipsnakes then did a great job of filling some needs in the third round. Smith can play LSM or close defense at the next level. This versatility is important for a team with only three close defenders on the roster.

Emmet Carroll is an intriguing goalie prospect who could very well be the starter on Opening Weekend, and Mazur is an animal at SSDM who loves to own his matchup and should be another starter for Maryland.

Favorite Pick: Aidan Carroll at No. 7

Carolina Chaos

No. 8: Owen Hiltz, Attack, Syracuse
No. 13: Levi Verch, Defense, Saint Joseph’s
No. 16: Jack McDonald, LSM, Maryland

My biggest loser from this draft.

I really like Hiltz; I’m just worried about his fit in the offense short-term. He needs some speedy dodgers around him who are able to draw slides so he can pick apart defenses as they are moving, but Carolina just doesn’t have any on its roster.

For that reason, I feel like a lot of the pressure will be on Hiltz to create opportunities for others, but that’s not necessarily his game.

In the long term, Hiltz will be a fantastic pro and a much-needed starter for their lefty attack side. But it feels like the offense still doesn’t have the talent to be championship-caliber. 

A lot of people like Verch as a prospect (as do I), but I still worry about him as a defender. I don’t think he has the foot speed to cover midfielders coming out of the box at the LSM position.

McDonald was a head-scratcher. Not only was he a little bit of a reach (I liked Wayer and Pace Billings more as LSM prospects), but then you also drafted back-to-back LSMs when you had King sitting there, which was a confusing decision.

King would have been an immediate starter for Carolina at X attack and would have made an awesome tandem with Hiltz. Not only would King elevate the offense himself, but he’d also elevate Hiltz’s play by drawing slides and attention from the defense.

All week, we heard how Carolina had a “championship-level” defense, but then they went ahead and drafted two LSMs while passing on King (or another offensive talent).

Like we saw last year, offense will be an issue for this team.

Favorite Pick: Owen Hiltz at No. 8

Denver Outlaws

No. 11: Logan McNaney, Goalie, Maryland
No. 19: Pace Billings, Defense, Michigan
No. 26: Kevin Parnham, Defense, Penn State
No. 27: Jack Gray, SSDM, Duke

Head coach and general manager Tim Soudan said the Outlaws were going to add poles and focus on defense during the draft.

That’s exactly what they did.

After grabbing their goalie of choice in McNaney in the second round, the Outlaws went defense, defense, defensive midfield to round out their class.

I don’t necessarily think any of these players will be stars, but Billings and Parnham look to be future replacements for Mike Manley and Jesse Bernhardt, while Gray is a battle-tested SSDM from the ACC and should fare just fine in the PLL.

Favorite Pick: Kevin Parnham at No. 26