It’s almost here. The 2024 National Lacrosse League Draft takes place tomorrow, welcoming future NLL stars to one of 14 teams.

The NLL will broadcast the first round of the draft live on its YouTube channel and Facebook page, with the rest of the rounds being announced on their social channels. But that’s a whole day away, and we’re impatient, having spent weeks imagining which players are getting their names called and when.

So, our panel of experts played hive-mind armchair GM and put their heads together for an OnTheClock mock draft. With a few teams having plenty of early picks, we went against our love of chaos and trades and pretended every team sticks with the picks they’ve got. Individual team needs spat in the face of our Big Board, giving us plenty of chaos even with us omitting the potential for trades.

Here’s how we have the first two rounds on Sunday evening shaking out.

ROUND ONE

1) Philadelphia Wings (Via Colorado) - Brennan O’Neill, LF, Duke & Denver (PLL)

When your name will be mentioned along with the likes of Kevin Crowley, Lyle Thompson, and Jeff Teat as the only players to be selected as the first overall pick in both box and field professional leagues, it’s a special honor and a sign of the talent that you possess.

O’Neill’s an exceptional player who doesn’t have the experience many of his fellow draftees do in the box game but makes up for it in sheer size, physicality, accuracy, vision, and talent. The Wings will be chomping at the bit to add him to their right side.

2) Toronto Rock (Via Las Vegas) - Sam English, RF, Syracuse & Oakville (MSL)

The sun may have set on the English Empire, but the other English’s empire is just beginning. A producer at every level he’s played, the eldest English combines a strong blend of athleticism and raw ability to be successful. Sam rips the ball and is able to draw defences in before dishing the rock to an open shooter; helps that his first step and speed are elite.

The Rock are one of the top teams in the NLL and find themselves in a rare position - having a first-round pick in the top 5. No need to trade it away when another lacrosse family dynasty is there to fall into their lap.

3) Georgia Swarm (Via Philadelphia) - Michael Grace, LD, Syracuse & Brooklin (MSL)

As we noted in our team needs, the Swarm aren’t getting any younger, especially out the back door. But Grace, who’s heading to Syracuse for a grad year, is worth the wait. He’s a big body that’s proven he can play against grown men, with the size, skill, and IQ that John Arlotta would love to have don blue and yellow.

The Swarm, a team with few needs, can definitely afford to wait for the top defender in the 2024 NLL Entry Draft.

4) Vancouver Warriors - Jonathan Peshko, RF, Johns Hopkins & Owen Sound (MSL)

Vancouver’s offense is getting a shot in the arm with some players coming off the Draft List; why not add to it with a righty forward with a high ceiling?

Peshko’s got a pro-ready frame, a pedigree for scoring goals, and a dynamite understanding of the two-man game. Imagining him working with the likes of Keegan Bal, Kevin Crowley, and Ryan Sheridan is exciting as hell.

5) Calgary Roughnecks - Trent DiCicco, LT, Ohio State & Victoria (WLA)

Every draft has a player put on a summer performance that rockets him up draft boards; this year, it’s DiCicco, whose efforts in the Mann Cup were impossible to not talk – let alone rave – about.

Out of THE Ohio State, the former Jr. Adanacs captain is a strong defender and transition threat. His time and success out west have lent themselves perfectly to the modern prototype of an NLL defender, making him a perfect fit for Calgary.

6) Saskatchewan Rush - Luca Antongiovanni, RT, North Carolina & Coquitlam (WLA)

Steady, athletic, solid – Antogiovanni is another Adanac grad atop the list of defenders ahead of this draft. Surprise, surprise.

The Rush love their young and athletic defenders that can push the floor, and Antogiovanni fits the bill.

7) Buffalo Bandits (Via Ottawa) - Remo Schenato, LD, Coquitlam (BCJALL)

Already equipped with a first team name, Remo Schenato is poised to continue playing pivotal roles anchoring a defence, like he did for Coquitlam on the way to a Minto Cup Championship.

Schenato’s size and lax IQ complement his ability to push the pace, evidenced by his 16 points in 17 regular season games for the Adanacs this past season. The two-time defending champs will be more than happy to add him to their stable.

8) Buffalo Bandits (Via Rochester) - Brayden Mayea, LF, High Point & St. Catharines (OJLL)

Having traded lefty forward Brandon Robinson east to I-90 rival Rochester, the Bandits could use some lefty depth. Enter Brayden Mayea.

We haven’t seen Mayea play box since the OJLL bubble in 2021, but his performance with current NLL standouts like Alex Simmons and Sam LeClair helped the St. Catharines Athletics take home the Iroquois Trophy as champions of Ontario. If the High Point grad makes his return to box, there’s no better place than with the Bandits.

9) Georgia Swarm (Via Panther City) - Jack Follows, LD, Cornell & Oakville (MSL)

Grace may be worth the wait for the Swarm, but Follows is worth the now. He’s the epitome of a hard hat and work boots defender, displaying leadership qualities and a vice for going above and beyond for his team.

A winner of the OJLL’s Most Outstanding Defender Award in 2022, He fits the mold of what the Swarm have sought in the last few drafts – high-character individuals with the athleticism and IQ to match.

10) Calgary Roughnecks (Via Halifax) - Matt Acchione, LT, Delaware & Owen Sound (MSL)

With an endless gas tank and motor, Acchione put on an impressive breakout performance for the Snake Island Muskies for the Presidents Cup.

His high compete level complements his prototypical transition player ability, and the former captain for the Toronto Beaches makes all the sense in the world for a Roughnecks squad that loves to play gritty, frustrating defence before pushing the ball up the floor.

Photo: David Pickering/Peterborough Lakers

11) Georgia Swarm - Carter Page, RF, St. Joseph’s & Peterborough (MSL)

The Swarm can bolster their depth easily at 11 by selecting a skilled forward from Peterborough – where have we heard that before? – in Page.

With a strong first step downhill and outside shoot, Page has the athleticism and skill needed to post a solid rookie campaign for the Swarm.

12) San Diego Seals - Jacob Power, RT, Belmont Abbey & Nanaimo (WLA)

Having risen to prominence for the Edmonton Miners during their Minto run back in 2022, Power has his namesake, able to rack up offensive numbers as a dangerous transition threat. He’s battled injuries over the past few summers but played for the Nanaimo Timbermen in the WLA, showcasing his first-round talents.

The Seals love pushing the floor in front of their young goaltender, Chris Origlieri. Power’s floor and high ceiling make him a great fit for Pat Merrill’s squad.

13) Toronto Rock - Jake Darlison, LT, Whitby (OJLL)

“Swiss Army Knife” Darlison will be a valuable commodity for any NLL team that calls his name, a weapon with the ability to play both sides of the ball. Poor Toronto, with their wealth of D/T players able to succeed on both ends of the floor – they can add the Whitby product to their stable and see him become the darling of their back end.

14) San Diego Seals (Via Albany) - Ethan M’Lot, LF, Burnaby (BCJALL)

How many lefty forwards do the Seals have? M’Lot… Ba, Dum, Tssss

He can join a Seals diverse left side filled with way more questions than answers and provide one solution – a tall left-hander with a penchant for passing and surprisingly hard outside shot. Another proven producer at every level he’s played, the Jr. Lakers product is ready to make his mark crashing and banging in the middle or from launching long-range missiles.

15) Buffalo Bandits - Jakson Raposo, RT, Johns Hopkins & Brooklin (MSL)

Buffalo can continue to add to their depth needs with a ferocious and tenacious transition player in Raposo.

Raposo jumped on the map as a transition specialist for the Toronto Beaches during their 2022 Minto Cup run and has continued to develop from there. He continued to impress this past summer every time he stepped on the floor for Brooklin LC in the MSL.

16) Saskatchewan Rush (Compensatory) - Denton MacDonald, LT, Bellarmine & Victoria (WLA)

With free agency additions shoring up the front door, Derek Keenan can continue to bolster the back door by adding a two-way specialist with a slick scoring touch to his arsenal. MacDonald was a pure forward to start his junior career, but his fearlessness in corners coupled with his quiet leadership have turned him into quite the complete player.

ROUND TWO

Editors Note - The second-round pick of the Philadelphia Wings has been Voided, as have the three second-round picks that Panther City Lacrosse Club held for this year’s draft

17) Colorado Mammoth - Robbie Turpin, LD, Simon Fraser & Coquitlam (BCJALL)

Pat Coyle staying close to home with the Mammoth’s first pick of the draft in Turpin, who helped hold down the back end for Coquitlam en route to the team winning the 2024 Minto Cup.

Turpin is steady. You won’t see many mistakes out of him when he's on the floor. Adding to the back end is the goal for Colorado, and they can get some transition help later on. Getting a strong defender will only help this roster in the long run.

18) Las Vegas Desert Dogs - Lukas Nielsen, RF, New Westminster (BCJALL)

Nielsen fits the window for the Desert Dogs, who are looking like they’re on the upswing following the dispersal draft. They’ll be adding Jonathan Donville to go along with Marshal King, who had a great summer.

The New Westminster forward has another year of junior, so Vegas would be playing the long game with him in his development. Nielsen has played at the senior level already though, so he’s someone you could see in a lineup this season.

19) Buffalo Bandits (Via Vancouver) - Zach Thompson, LF, Newberry & Cobourg (MSL)

This Buffalo team adding multiple top prospects in the first and early second round seems unfair. But that’s what happens when you’ve got one of the best GMs in the league.

As we’ve talked about in our needs piece, Buffalo doesn’t need anything. They can take the best player on the board with every pick. Thompson has delivered at every level he’s played, and the Nepean product is just steady all around. He’d also be falling into a perfect situation, learning on the job from the likes of Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne, and the talented offense in Buffalo.

20) Saskatchewan Rush (Via Calgary) - Caleb Creasor, LD, Marquette & Nanaimo

Creasor brings speed and hard-nosed defensive play to the table, and with a young defence in Saskatchewan that can fly around and cause havoc, he’ll fit in perfectly.

21) Colorado Mammoth (Via Ottawa) - Jack Travassos, LD, Newberry & Brooklin (MSL)

Travassos is big, athletic, and a threat in transition. He’s what the Mammoth are looking to get on their defense heading into this season.

While he hasn’t played a full season since graduating junior, there’s a lot of promise with Travassos as a guy that can produce both defensively and offensively in Colorado.

22) Georgia Swarm (Via Rochester) - Owen Rahn, RT, Orangeville (OJLL)

Rahn can do it all, as he proved this year for Orangeville during their run to the Minto Cup final. Playing mostly defense, he took reps as a forward at times as well.

Most importantly for Georgia, he can run the floor and produce at a high clip. He had a point per game this year across 30 games — including playoffs — for the Hornheads this past summer.

23) Georgia Swarm - Lindyn Hill, G, Orangeville (OJLL)

Brett Dobson is the man in net going forward for Georgia, but bringing in a young backup in Hill will solidify the crease for the Swarm for the future.

Hill took a backseat to Connor O’Toole the last half of the season for Orangeville, but from all accounts, he’s an amazing teammate and someone that’s great in the locker room. On top of being a solid shot-stopper, that’s everything a team is looking for in a backup.

24) Ottawa Black Bears (Via San Diego) - Jackson Webster, LT, Canisius & Owen Sound (MSL)

Webster can do a little bit of everything. He’s a solid forward who will go out the back door if needed. And he can pack a punch out the back door as a transition threat.

That versatility will help an Ottawa team who has some solid lefties to pair with Jeff Teat already. But a defender who could stay and play an offensive shift would give the Black Bears some different looks.

25) Saskatchewan Rush (Via Toronto) - Reese Barnes, RD, Edmonton (RMJALL)

Barnes just feels like a great fit for the Rush in this position. You can never have too many talented defenders, and the Sherwood Park, Alberta native can do it all.

Giving Mike Messenger some breaks would be welcomed this year, and Barnes’ high clip on face-offs and his transition ability would make him a favourite in Saskatchewan in no time.

26) Ottawa Black Bears (Via Albany) - Cam Acchione, RT, Delaware & Owen Sound (MSL)

Acchione sliding this far in the draft would give Ottawa a very good player at the back end of the second round. Cam has a very similar game to twin brother Matt, but he’s got more transition upside with a very similar motor and gas tank.

The righty’s injury at the Presidents Cup negated a chance for him to up his stock, but it’s the Black Bears’ gain in this draft.

27) Rochester Knighthawks (Via Buffalo) - Ajax Zappitello, RD, Maryland

It was Jake Piseno last year, and this time around, Rochester could strike gold again in a standout field defender in Zappitello.

The Maryland standout is a fantastic one-on-one defender who could be a great addition to a back end with his coverage ability, footwork, and IQ.

28) Albany FireWolves (Compensatory) - Taylor Dooley, RD, Mercer & Ennismore (OSL)

A Toronto Beaches grad going to Albany? Surprising, we know.

Glenn Clark and Clem D’Orazio have liked to pull from their former Junior stomping grounds when constructing their roster, and they’re very familiar with Dooley, a player they drafted to the Beaches back in the day. While he hasn’t played a ton of MSL lacrosse, the Lindsay, Ontario native is a presence in the defensive end and can produce in transition. Dooley has upside and will fit in perfectly with what Albany is trying to do defensively.

2024 NLL Mock Draft