Draft Order, Preview and Top Prospects in 2023 NLL Entry Draft

The 2023 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft is slated for Saturday in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, with 98 incoming players ready to realize their professional box lacrosse dreams.

The NLL free agency period opening August 1, with a flurry of transactions and trades already impacting the way the draft will shake out. With just a few days left before the big day, get ready for the event with a full primer on the must-know information.

TOP PROSPECTS

NLL.com writer Stephen Stamp recently put together a breakdown of the top 50 prospects in the draft. That list is, of course, highlighted by Duke star Dyson Williams, who Stamp considers the player most ready for the NLL. The big lefty is the first of four forwards who Stamp has at the top of his big board.

A look at the top 10 of the top 50:

1. Dyson Williams, Duke (Brooklin Lacrosse Club MSL)
2. Adam Poitras, Loyola (Brooklin Lacrosse Club MSL/Whitby Warriors Jr. A)
3. Levi Anderson, Saint Joseph's (Albert Miners Sr. B)
4. Ryan Sheridan, Hofstra (Nanaimo Timbermen WLA)
5. Callum Jones, Norwich U. (Oakville Rock Sr. B)
6. Jake Stevens, Princeton (Brooklin Lacrosse Club MSL)
7. Brock Haley, Vermont (Brooklin Lacrosse Club MSL/Whitby Warriors Jr. A)
8. Ben MacDonnell (Brooklin Lacrosse Club MSL)
9. Matthew Wright, North Carolina (Peterborough Lakers MSL)
10. Bennett Smith, Queens (Victoria Shamrocks WLA)

TIME TO TURN IT AROUND

There are many intriguing teams in the NLL Entry Draft, but keep your eyes on the Georgia Swarm. The Swarm appeared to be limping toward one of the worst seasons in the NLL in 2022-23 before turning it around and nearly making the postseason. Now Georgia boasts three first-round picks (Nos. 6, 8 and 19) and nine overall. Whether all of those picks are used to bring talent in or as leverage to move up in the draft remains to be seen, but Georgia is in a fantastic position to surround its core with more firepower.

The Albany FireWolves join Georgia as the only team with three first-round selections, including the No. 1 pick. (The others come at Nos. 14 and 17.) The outlook for Albany is not quite as rosy as that of Georgia, especially after a league-worst 3-15 record in which the FireWolves went 0-9 at home and had a league-worst minus-66 scoring margin. Still, three first-round picks and six overall could help infuse the franchise with significant pieces for the future.

WAITING PATIENTLY

After falling in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual NLL champion Buffalo Bandits, the Toronto Rock have to wait awhile for their first pick in the draft — assuming a deal does not happen to move them up in the pecking order. Toronto will not make its first pick until No. 39, or the opening pick of the third round. By that time, many (if not all) of the day-one impact players will be off the board.

Toronto lost its first-round pick July 10 when it acquired Mark Matthews from the Saskatchewan Rush in exchange for Zach Manns, Adam Jay and the No. 12 pick. Its second-round pick was lost on March 13 when it acquired Greg Downing from the Albany Firewolves for the No. 32 pick.

DRAFT ORDER

Draft order as of Tuesday, Sept. 12. Subject to change based on trades leading up to and during the draft. Movement can be followed on the NLL transaction page.

ROUND ONE

1. Albany
2. Vancouver
3. New York
4. Las Vegas
5. Panther City (from Saskatchewan)
6. Georgia
7. Vancouver (from Philadelphia)
8. Georgia (from Panther City)
9. Las Vegas (from Rochester)
10. Halifax
11. Calgary
12. Saskatchewan (from Toronto)
13. San Diego
14. Albany (from Colorado)
15. Buffalo
16. Calgary
17. Albany
18. Philadelphia (from Saskatchewan, via San Diego)
19. Georgia

ROUND TWO

20. Saskatchewan
21. Panther City (from Albany, via Saskatchewan, via Philadelphia)
22. Vancouver
23. San Diego (from New York)
24. Las Vegas
25. Saskatchewan
26. Georgia
27. San Diego (from Philadelphia, via New York, via Saskatchewan)
28. Halifax (from Panther City, via Georgia)
29. Saskatchewan (from Rochester, via Buffalo)
30. Rochester (from Halifax)
31. Georgia (from Calgary)
32. Albany (from Toronto)
33. New York (from San Diego)
34. Colorado
35. Calgary (from Buffalo)
36. Halifax
37. Calgary
38. Buffalo

ROUND THREE

39. Toronto (from Albany)
40. Vancouver
41. Georgia (from New York)
42. Las Vegas
43. Colorado (from Saskatchewan)
44. San Diego (from Georgia)
45. Philadelphia
46. Panther City
47. Rochester
48. Halifax
49. Calgary
50. Toronto
51. Las Vegas (from San Diego)
52. Rochester (from Colorado)
53. Buffalo

ROUND FOUR

54. New York (from Albany, via Panther City)
55. Vancouver
56. New York (from New York, via Philadelphia, via Rochester)
57. Las Vegas
58. Saskatchewan
59. Philadelphia (from Georgia)
60. Philadelphia
61. Panther City
62. San Diego (from Rochester)
63. Halifax
64. Calgary
65. Toronto
66. Georgia (San Diego)
67. Colorado
68. Buffalo

ROUND FIVE

69. Albany
70. Vancouver
71. New York
VS. Las Vegas
72. Saskatchewan
73. Georgia
74. Philadelphia
75. Philadelphia (Panther City)
76. San Diego (Rochester)
77. Halifax
78. Calgary
79. Toronto
80. San Diego
81. Colorado
82. Buffalo

ROUND SIX

83. Albany
84. Vancouver
85. Philadelphia (from New York)
86. Las Vegas
87. Saskatchewan
88. Georgia
89. Philadelphia
90. Panther City
91. Philadelphia (from Rochester)
92. Halifax
93. Calgary
94. Toronto
95. San Diego
96. Colorado
97. Buffalo