This independent Mock Draft of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft was originally published on Jan. 7, 2017 by Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Timothy Rapp.
While the January transfer window is in full swing in European soccer, the crown jewel of MLS offseason is just around the corner, the MLS SuperDraft.
Below, we'll break down a first-round mock draft and break down the full draft order.
Pick |
Team |
Player |
1 |
Minnesota United |
Jeremy Ebobisse, F, Duke |
2 |
Atlanta United FC |
Abu Danladi, F, UCLA |
3 |
Chicago Fire |
Jackson Yueill, MF, UCLA |
4 |
Houston Dynamo |
Miles Robinson, D, Syracuse |
5 |
Columbus Crew |
Chris Odoi-Atsem, D, Maryland |
6 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
Brandon Aubrey, D, Notre Dame |
7 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
Nick DePuy, F, UC Santa Barbara |
8 |
Atlanta United FC |
Reagan Dunk, D, Denver |
9 |
Columbus Crew |
Niko Hansen, MF/F, New Mexico |
10 |
Portland Timbers |
Jacori Hayes, MF, Wake Forest |
11 |
Chicago Fire |
Zeiko Lewis, MF/F, Boston College |
12 |
D.C United |
Julian Gressel, MF/F, Providence |
13 |
Real Salt Lake |
Francis de Vries, D, Saint Francis |
14 |
Sporting K.C. |
Brian Wright, F, Vermont |
15 |
Colorado Rapids |
Gordon Wild, F, Maryland |
16 |
Seattle Sounders |
Christian Thierjung, F, California |
17 |
New York Red Bulls |
Colten Storm, D, North Carolina |
18 |
FC Dallas |
Walker Hume, D, North Carolina |
19 |
Montreal Impact |
Brian Nana-Sinkam, D, Stanford |
20 |
New England Revolution |
Lalas Abubakar, D, Dayton |
21 |
Colorado Rapids |
Guillermo Delgado, F, Delaware |
22 |
Seattle Sounders |
Shamit Shome, F, FC Edmonton |
Here's a look at the draft order in the second round:
Pick |
Team |
23 |
Minnesota United |
24 |
Colorado Rapids |
25 |
Chicago Fire |
26 |
Toronto FC |
27 |
Toronto FC |
28 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
29 |
Vancouver Whitecaps |
30 |
Houston Dynamo |
31 |
New England Revolution |
32 |
Portland Timbers |
33 |
Philadelphia Union |
34 |
D.C. United |
35 |
Real Salt Lake |
36 |
Houston Dynamo |
37 |
FC Dallas |
38 |
NYCFC |
39 |
New York Red Bulls |
40 |
FC Dallas |
41 |
Montreal Impact |
42 |
Philadelphia Union |
43 |
D.C. United |
44 |
Seattle Sounders |
There may not be a consensus top pick in this year's draft, but four names tend to hover around the early picks: Jeremy Ebobisse, Abu Danladi, Jackson Yueill and Miles Robinson.
So who are these guys?
Ebobisse is arguably the safest forward in this draft and maybe the top talent available, period. He has been incredibly impressive with the United States under-20 national team, notching nine goals in eight games during the 2016 campaign, per Rob Usry of Dirty South Soccer.
He has a deadly left foot and the potential to grow into a prolific scorer in the MLS. Will Parchman of MLSSoccer.com broke down his game:
Ebobisse is one of those jack-of-all-trades forwards, capable of just about anything in just about any system. That has to be music to an expansion club’s ears. Of course in this he lacks specialization, but that certainly hasn’t hurt Wright-Phillips, who’s banked on his all-around game to become one of the most lethal scorers in MLS history. Ebobisse has that in him if he can find a creative system that can generate looks. The good news? He’s malleable, skilled and endlessly technical. As far as picks go, it gets no safer than Ebobisse, who’s ready to go now.
It's hard to imagine him falling any lower than the No. 2 pick in this draft.
Minnesota will have a very interesting decision to make, however, because Danladi is also an impressive striker who notched seven goals and two assists in just 11 games with UCLA in 2016. Danladi's pace and versatility are his strengths, as he has the skill set to play either as a central forward or as a winger on either flank.
Without his history of injuries, he'd probably be the consensus top pick in this draft. In terms of raw talent, no prospect has more. Regardless, Minnesota and Atlanta can't really miss with these two players atop the draft.
After that, Yueill and Robinson should be the next two players off the board. Yueill is a playmaker in the midfield who led the Pac-12 with 11 assists in 2016, good for fifth overall in the NCAA. There isn't another player in this draft with his vision, anticipation or ability to set up his teammates in ideal scoring positions.
According to TopDrawerSoccer.com, "Some MLS General Managers have compared his game to Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley, which should give some idea of how he fits into the MLS style of play."
If Yueill's game ultimately resembles anything close to what Bradley brings to the table, he'll be an absolute steal at either No. 3 or 4.
Robinson, meanwhile, is the top defensive player in this draft and is likely versatile enough to play in all four positions on a back line, though he'll settle in at centre-back more than likely. His college head coach certainly had high praise for him.
"Miles has been terrific for us these past two years and he has played an integral role in leading our team to new heights," Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said, per Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com. "He is an outstanding, humble young man and a wonderful teammate. He has a very bright future ahead of him and we are all very excited for Miles as he embarks on the next stage of his career."
Robinson has the look of a player who will once find his way on to the USMNT roster at centerback.