In-depth coverage leading up to the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.
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Next Thursday at the 2013 MLS SuperDraft in Indianapolis, the Crew can afford to be flexible in its draft strategy for the ninth overall pick after signing potential first round picks Chad Barson and Wil Trapp to Homegrown deals.
However, just because the Crew has already added two top players out of college, doesn't mean President and General Manager Mark McCullers is taking the SuperDraft any more lightly.
"I've said, it's not going to be like this every year," McCullers said on Thursday. "It's nice [to have two Homegrown signees]. It's a good feeling, but I don't think it really takes the pressure off of us in the draft and making the right decisions."
While the focus right now will be to take the best available player with the ninth pick, McCullers and Technical Director Brian Bliss haven't ruled out trading the pick to move up in the Draft or acquire established MLS talent.
"I don't want to say we can gamble with that, but we can do a little bit more in terms of maybe even trading [the ninth overall pick] to try to move up or get a starter from another team because we feel we already have two players who could have been first rounders," Bliss explained. "There is some flexibility in the SuperDraft and I think we will explore all possibilities."
"The way I look at it, we've already got two first round picks in our draft class for 2013 with Chad and Wil," McCullers added. "I don't know that it changes the dynamic a whole lot. We like using our first round pick, but if the right deal comes up, then we would certainly consider trading it."
Regardless of what happens next Thursday in the Circle City, the Crew can celebrate having landed two top prospects in Barson and Trapp this offseason.
"If that first round pick does happen to get traded, we can argue that we already have two first rounders in our class in place." McCullers said.
On Friday, TheCrew.com will take an in-depth look at potential Draft Day transactions as part of Countdown to SuperDraft presented by Barbasol.
