If your team is in need of defensive help, then the 2016 MLS draft is shaping up to be a good one to grab some valuable depth. There is some debate about just how many players in this year's draft actually are ready to step in and contribute right away, but the consensus among MLS coaches and general managers is that there is good value to be had at a variety of positions.
The same can't quite be said for attacking positions, with forward being particularly thin this year. Of course, attacking midfielders are always scarce in the MLS draft, but there are some interesting two-way midfielders and winger types who are attracting attention near the top of the draft.
It remains unclear just which player will be the first taken Thursday in Baltimore, but the sense is it will be one of three players. Georgetown defender Joshua Yaro had been considered a good bet to go first overall, but with the Chicago Fire actively shopping the No. 1 pick, a new favorite has emerged. Wake Forest freshman sensation Jack Harrison, who could play as a right winger or central midfielder as a pro, is drawing considerable interest from teams that see him as having the most potential in the draft. Then there is Stanford left back Brandon Vincent, who may be a bit of a long shot to be the top overall pick. But plenty of teams covet him as a defender who could start from day one, and he should be one of the first three players taken.
If your team isn't in the picture for one of the top three picks in the draft, and you are curious about which players could be available to address needs that your team has, here is a breakdown of the top players at each position:
GOALKEEPERS
1. ANDREW TARBELL (Clemson)
2. CALLUM IRVING (Kentucky)
3. ZACH BENNETT (Michigan State)
4. RYAN HERMAN (Washington)
5. WADE HAMILTON (Cal Poly)
RIGHT BACK
1. JORDAN MCCRARY (North Carolina)
2. KEEGAN ROSENBERRY (Georgetown)
3. DENNIS CASTILLO (VCU)
4. EMIR ALIHODZIC (Omaha)
5. VINCENT KELLER (Creighton)
CENTER BACK
1. JOSHUA YARO (Georgetown)
2. KYLE FISHER (Clemson)
3. JONATHAN CAMPBELL (North Carolina)
4. TONY ALFARO (CSU-Dominguez Hills)
5. ZACH CARROLL (Michigan State)
6. LIAM DOYLE (Ohio State)
7. COLE SEILER (Georgetown)
8. THOMAS LIBIIH (Cameroon)
9. TYLER DAVID (Saint Louis)
10. IVAN MAGALHAES (Maryland)
LEFT BACK
1. BRANDON VINCENT (Stanford)
2. TAYLOR WASHINGTON (George Mason)
3. JUSTIN BILYEU (SIU-Edwardsville)
4. JOSH TURNLEY (Georgetown)
5. MAX LACHOWECKI (Notre Dame)
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
1. JULIAN BUESCHER (Syracuse)
2. TODD WHARTON (Virginia)
3. RODRIGO SARAVIA (Florida Gulf Coast)
4. PAUL CLOWES (Clemson)
5. TY THOMPSON (Stanford)
CENTRAL/ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
1. RICHIE LARYEA (Akron)
2. CHASE MINTER (Cal Poly)
3. JAMES MOBERG (Washington)
4. TSUBASA ENDOH (Maryland)
5. JORGINHO JAMES (Jamaica)
6. BEN STRONG (Louisville)
7. PATRICK HODAN (Notre Dame)
8. EMMANUEL APPIAH (Cincinnati)
9. MATT LAGRASSA (Cal Poly)
10. SHAWN LAWSON (Oakland)
RIGHT/LEFT WINGER
1. JACK HARRISON (Wake Forest)
2. OMAR HOLNESS (North Carolina)
3. ALEX MORRELL (North Florida)
4. MICHAEL GAMBLE (Wake Forest)
5. T.J. CASNER (Clemson)
6. FEMI HOLLINGER-JANZEN (Indiana)
7. JAMES NORTEY (Marquette)
8. COLE MISSIMO (Northwestern)
9. KEVAUGHN FRATER (Jamaica)
10. MIKHAIL DOHOLIS (Oregon State)
FORWARD
1. FABIAN HERBERS (Creighton)
2. BEN POLK (Syracuse)
3. MICHAEL SALAZAR (UC-Riverside)
4. HADJI BARRY (Central Florida)
5. COLIN BONNER (UNC-Wilmington)
7. CALVIN REZENDE (St. Francis, Pa.)
8. TIMO PITTER (Creighton)
9. NECO BRETT (Robert Morris)
10. THOMAS SANNER (Princeton)
