The Denver Outlaws needed to get younger on the back end this season, and they did that in the 2025 College Draft, selecting Penn State’s Kevin Parnham and signing Army’s AJ Pilate as an undrafted free agent.

The youth movement is bustling behind the scenes, but veterans Jesse Bernhardt, Mike Manley are still back for another run alongside All-Pro JT Giles-Harris. So what does that mean for the likes of Parnham and Pilate?

Parham is a jack of all trades, master of none at close defense. He’s big enough (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) and a reliable cover on and off the ball. He can cause chaos, forcing 29 turnovers this season, and is strong off the ground.

He’s never been an attention-getter, but the USA Lacrosse Magazine honorable mention All-American is a complete and fundamentally sound player.

The @DenverOutlaws are getting a very fundamental defender in @PennStateMLAX’s Kevin Parnham!

Four-year starter has anchored the Nittany Lion back line forever pic.twitter.com/mleoWnVQlT

— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) May 8, 2025

With that profile, it’s easy to see Parnham becoming Denver’s fourth defenseman as soon as this season. He doesn’t have a ton of experience playing long-stick midfield, but he could fill a similar role to Nick Grill as a fourth defender.

He’s not a comparable cover defenseman to Giles-Harris, but he can handle a tough matchup. He’s not as physical as Manley, but he can disrupt an offensive attack.

The Outlaws are high on longtime reserve Greg Weyl, who filled in admirably for Bernhardt last season before an injury of his own. With that depth and experience, Parnham might not see much playing time as a rookie.

However, Denver knows that going in.

“We need the guys at training camp that know our system and that run through it during training camp,” head coach and general manager Tim Soudan said after the draft.

Bernhardt has battled injuries throughout his PLL career. Manley, Giles-Harris and Weyl have all missed time in their careers. As the Outlaws head to training camp, the goal is building depth and familiarity, even for the players who don’t see the field every week.

Pilate is in an interesting situation as a West Point graduate. The Outlaws have hit on Army stars before, mainly Brendan Nichtern, but military commitments make a player’s long-term future a question mark.

However, Pilate brings a resume that would’ve gotten him drafted without those concerns. He’s a multiple-time All-American and won the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award three times.

He plays with intensity and ferocity, saving his best for big moments.

extremely clutch hit by AJ Pilate on Owen Duffy, who was 1 second away from potentially forcing OT pic.twitter.com/BR3m84hgmi

— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) March 30, 2025

Pilate’s faced the best in the country, such as North Carolina’s Owen Duffy and Syracuse’s Joey Spallina, both future PLL pros. The long-term future is always a question with an Army graduate, but Denver might have snuck one of the best acquisitions of the draft in under the waiver wire.