The 2025 NLL Draft has come and gone, and we saw 89 individuals get their names called.

Instead of going through every pick, we wanted to highlight the players and picks we liked from across the league. This won’t be individuals from inside the first round — that’s a little too easy. Instead, we’ll look a little further down the board and chat about some value picks that could pay off big for the various NLL teams.

Buffalo Bandits - Jimmy Freehill, RD, Denver

At the tail end of the second round, the Bandits snapped up Freehill, an All-American close defender from Denver who was named a Tewaaraton Award Finalist in 2025.

Freehill stands at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, and he’s been a bull on the back end for the Pioneers during his college career. He’s got great patience when defending, picking his spots to attack his opponent while still maintaining strong positioning. But as an off-ball help defender, when he slides, he does it hard. That length and physicality will be a welcome addition to the back end of the three-time defending champions.

It’s a great bet for the Bandits to make. There’s no rush to get Freehill into the lineup with the other defenders the team has in-house. But when the Newton, Massachusetts native gets the Bandits’ defence down, he could be a great addition to the team.

Calgary Roughnecks - Jack Royer, RF, Queen’s (NC) & Coquitlam (WLA)

The Calgary Roughnecks had a busy draft, selecting eight players, including five home-grown prospects from the province of Alberta. One of those ‘Berta boys were Jack Royer, taken early in the fourth round at 49th overall.

An explosive athlete with a heavy outside shot and sharp playmaking instincts, Royer brings more than just skill to the floor. His grit, drive, and willingness to battle have helped him thrive as an undersized forward at every level he’s played.

Colorado Mammoth - Stuart Phillips, RF, Johns Hopkins & Burnaby (WLA) - PG

Phillips was another player that we had ranked as a first-round talent, but that was also prefaced with the fact that he could miss this season due to a job he took in New York after graduating from Johns Hopkins.

In our Mock Draft, we did have him falling to the end of the second round, and Colorado as the team to take a chance on the talented righty. With Braedon Saris added in the top five and a player like Kaymen Diabo drafted further down the board, Phillips is a great dart throw for the Mammoth at that point in the draft.

Phillips can shoot the lights out of the ball. He was considered among the best pure shooters in the draft. He also has great vision and lacrosse IQ to go along with some solid distributing to teammates. Despite not playing this summer, he had a ridiculous 3.8 points per game as a rookie in the WLA last year with Burnaby. If Phillips does decide to join the Mammoth, this could be an absolute steal of a pick in the second round.

Georgia Swarm - Kean Moon, RF, Robert Morris & Coquitlam (WLA) - PG

Kean Moon was a first-round draft pick on many mocks heading into Saturday’s draft. With the abundance of righty forwards available in the class, Moon found his way sliding down to 41st overall and headed south to Georgia.

The Calgary, AB product is an electrifying forward who has a knack for scoring and setting up pretty goals. Moon’s blistering first step and lightning-quick release allow him to be dangerous from anywhere on the floor, whether he's firing a shot from a distance or getting his nose dirty driving to the net.

As Georgia may be looking to re-tool its offence with young talent, Moon could become a key piece of their future.

Halifax Thunderbirds - Levi Touhey, RD, Orangeville (OJLL)

While the Thunderbirds used their two first-round picks to bolster their offence, adding Alex Marinier and Will MacLeod, it was their later rounds where the addressed the back end, snagging some good value in Ethan Lee, Touhey, and Payton Tasse for the defence.

Touhey has been no stranger to big games over his last three years of summer lacrosse. He featured in the Founders Cup back in 2023 with the PoCo Saints Junior B squad. He then played in two straight Minto Cups — last year with Port Coquitlam and this year with Orangeville. He made the jump East at the deadline this summer and helped bolster Orangeville’s back end with his solid defensive play.

He really jumped onto everyone’s radar this summer, when PoCo posted a video on social of him dominating in a game against New Westminster, where he forced several turnovers and chipped in a pair of goals.

With Halifax, he’s likely a player for the future. Touhey has another year of junior left and will return to the Saints for his graduate season. But his motor and physicality will be something that Halifax will love. Add in that he played under Thunderbirds Defensive Coach Andrew Suitor with the Northmen and this will be a guy to watch down the road.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs - Curtis Ward, LF, Peterborough (OJLL)

Las Vegas Desert Dogs GM and Head Coach Shawn Williams had a very strong draft, grabbing potentially the most versatile player in the entire draft in Casey Wilson and a promising goaltender prospect in Caleb Khan in the first round. The great drafting continued past round one, including a gem of a find at 62nd overall with Curtis Ward.

Ward renounced his NCAA eligibility last year but went undrafted, but after an outstanding 12 months, there was no way he wasn’t hearing his name this time around. Ward proved he can compete and contribute with grown men, scoring a jaw-dropping 94 points in 14 games played in the Arena Lacrosse League with Brampton. The good vibes and scoring continued with Peterborough, as Ward tallied a solid 67 points with the Junior Lakers in a secondary scoring role.

Ward has good IQ and can create his own looks and set up teammates for prime scoring chances in equal parts.

Oshawa FireWolves - Jaxon Fridge, LD, Canisius & Burnaby (WLA) - PG

Another pesky defender is landing in Oshawa.

Fridge was one of the more surprising slides in the draft this year, as most had the talented defender going in the first round at some point. But the FireWolves won’t be complaining about him landing in their lap in the early third round.

It could have been Fridge’s frame. He stands at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. But from what he put on film at last year’s Minto, the talent alone could have warranted him going higher. He was outstanding against Joey Spallina one-on-one to help the Jr Adanacs capture the Minto Cup. He extended his strong play to his rookie WLA season, where he was a standout for the Sr. Lakers.

The FireWolves are known for their high-pace, high-pressure defence, and Fridge will play perfectly into that style. Glenn Clark and Co. were able to land a great defender without having a pick in the first two rounds on Saturday. Fridge was one of the steals of the draft.

Ottawa Black Bears - Liam Aston (RF) & Andrew Dalton (LT)

New Ottawa Black Bears head coach and general manager Dan MacRae made the most of his draft despite not holding a selection until 33rd overall. With that pick, Ottawa landed a potential steal in Liam Aston, a player many projected as a first-round talent.

The Ottawa, Ontario native is a dangerous outside shooter who combines size, strength, and deception to beat goaltenders. For a big-bodied forward, Aston also flashes an explosive first step that allows him to shake defenders and either attack the net or set up teammates.

Just a few spots later at 37th overall, MacRae added another intriguing prospect in Andrew Dalton from the Toronto Beaches. While Dalton’s box lacrosse sample size is limited, his raw talent and relentless work ethic make him a high-upside selection.

Dalton hasn’t played since the Beaches’ Minto Cup run in 2022 and logged only 22 regular-season Junior A games over four years. There’s no doubt the 2025 NCAA National DI Champion will battle for a roster spot or practice roster at training camp this fall.

Photo: David Pickering/Peterborough Lakers

Philadelphia Wings - Kaden Brennan, RT, St. Bonaventure & Oakville (MSL) - PG

After selecting Bo Columbus in the first round with the 15th overall pick, GM Paul Day had to wait until pick 40 to make his next selection. But the pick that caught the OTC’s collective eye was transition player Kaden Brennan at 50th overall.

The former St. Bonaventure Bonnie is a promising transition player who showcased his speed and smarts with the Oakville Rock this past summer. Given the Wings' stated goal of improving their back end and building for the long term, Brennan has the potential to become a valuable addition to the roster.

Rochester Knighthawks - Seth Martineau, LD, Toronto (OJLL)

A player that we had at the tail end of our Top 50 on the Big Board, Martineau was scooped up in the third round by the Knighthawks, who used their draft to add defenders with their first three picks.

While Adam Thistlethwaite is a solid defender who slipped into the second round and Mitchell Dunham is an interesting pick up later in the draft, it’s the 6-foot-6, 250-pound defender who caught our eye. As a third-rounder, Rochester believes this is a player who could make an impact on their roster or is at least a piece with a future on the back end for their organization.

Watching Beaches games this summer, 11 in Blue and yellow stood out like a sore thumb, mainly because of his large frame and red shoes. But what he displayed was a strong athlete for his size who has strong stick skills and IQ on the defensive end. He played on the penalty kill and pitched in his fair share in transition. At just 21, he has a lot of potential to unlock, and if the Knighthawks can help him along, he could pay big dividends to them in the future.

San Diego Seals - Ben Ramsey, RD, Notre Dame

The trend of NLL teams drafting short-stick defensive midfielders has become more popular every year since the emergence of guys like Ryan Terefenko and Danny Logan as matchup nightmares in the NLL.

Ramsey, a multiple-time All-American and two-time National Champion with the Fighting Irish, is a physical and athletic force on defence, bodying up opposing attackmen or midfielders while also excelling at matching feet and navigating picks in the field game. He does play more square to his matchup, which could cause problems in box with picks in the two-man game, but that’s something that the Seals’ coaches can work on with him.

You cannot teach defensive instincts that a player like Ramsey possesses. Playing alongside Logan, who also made the transition from field to box, could be a big help as well. While it’ll be a question if Ramsey will commit to the NLL full-time, it helps that the Palo Alto, California native is staying in his home state with the Seals.

Saskatchewan Rush - Andrew McAdorey, RF, Duke

While McAdorey is on the smaller size, standing at 5-foot-8, he’s incredibly twitchy, with a fantastic first step that he can blow by defenders with. He’s an elite playmaker in the field game who also possesses pin perfect placement on his shot.

The question will be how he translates to the box game. But McAdorey has a box background playing in the States when he was a kid, which means he won’t just step into the league learning the box game from scratch.

Saskatchewan managed to find one of the best value picks in the draft last year with Jake Naso, another Duke graduate, who was one of the most efficient face-off specialists in the NLL last season. If McAdorey commits, they could find a similar kind of gem in the third round.

Toronto Rock - Hugh Kelleher, RT, Cornell & Oakville (OJLL)

After selecting the top three players off the board, Toronto added a familiar face in Kelleher at the top of the second round. Jamie Dawick would’ve had a great look at the American when he played for the Oakville Buzz back in 2022 alongside his sons, Luke and Jake.

As we’ve said previously with Kelleher, he has the offensive upside to develop him as a forward, and that may just be what Toronto does. But he’s also got the size and athleticism to play regular shifts at transition. It’ll be one of the more interesting guys to watch outside of the top three picks.

Running out of the back gate alongside Challen Rogers, Latrell Harris, and Brad Kri — possibly Mitch De Snoo if he comes back — could be electric for the Rock. But Tom Schreiber is also a free agent who suffered another season-ending injury this summer outdoors. Adding some size to the front end could help Toronto immensely. But the Rock could also just look to run Rogers out the front gate, as they’ve done in the past. Kelleher is ready to step into a lineup and be a contributor wherever he’s deployed.

Vancouver Warriors - Mic Kelly, RF, Denver & Gaels (NCBS) - PG

Cody Malawsky’s job as unofficial scout continued once again this fall, as for the second draft in a row, Curt Malawsky selected an American-born Denver Pioneer. Last year, the Warriors drafted Alec Stathakis 40th overall. Not only did the face-off specialist shore up a position of need, but he also progressed as a true defender as the season progressed.

The Warriors used their first pick of the second round to grab Mic Kelly, a promising talent who made a name for himself at the 2023 NCBS Nationals with the Chesapeake Bird Dogs. He returned the following season to Utica with the Potomac Gaels and once again turned heads.

Kelly pairs size and agility, able to run past defenders or power through them when needed. A native of Towson, MD, he has a heavy, accurate shot on the run and shows a knack for creating scoring opportunities. Interestingly, Vancouver listed him as a transition player rather than a forward on their social media graphic, highlighting his versatility. If Kelly adapts to the defensive nuances of the box game, he could become a dynamic weapon for the Warriors, particularly in transition.

2025 NLL Draft - One Pick We Like for Every Team