The PLL Big Board Returns

We’re back after a few weeks away with a new Big Board! We have some new faces this week, some guys climbing the rankings, and a notably player leave the list. We have just about hit the midway point of the lacrosse season which is sad. We also are that much closer to the pro season, where most of the guys here will be getting a shot.

The notable name leaving the board this week is UNC’s Chris Gray, who received a master’s scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in Chapel Hill. This was likely going to be the case, but as I’ve said, until a player makes it clear that they intend to stay in school and take advantage of another year, I’m going to include seniors and grad students on this list. For now, Gray drops off and everyone else bumps up a spot. So the 2022 big board is already shaping up with Gray, Matt Moore, Zach Cole, and Brett Makar grabbing spots at the top of it.

Another change: I’ve split up the midfield into two groups. One is the purely offensive players, you’ll be drafting these guys to dodge, shoot, score, and that’s what they do best. Is it the end of the world if they’re on defense? No, but it’s not why they are on your roster. This is the Sergio Perkovic division. The other group is the SSDMs and “two way” guys. Players who can impact both ends, or are purely defensive specialists. They’ll be part of transition offense, or even stay on and be part of your offensive scheme at times. Sometimes, they’ll be part of the offensive scheme and you’ll be good with them just staying on for defense. This is the Brent Adams division.

THE RULES:

Seniors and Grad Students only. COVID makes eligibility and who is staying in school vs graduating and leaving for the pros a total mess, so if you’re listed as a SR or Grad Student, you’re eligible to show up on my big board. As players declare their intention to return to school, they’ll come off the board.

This is NOT a mock draft. This is not the order I expect these players to be drafted in (outside of the guy at the top of the list). It’s my listing of who I expect to have the biggest impact at the pro level.

Overall

1. Michael Sowers
2. JT Giles Harris
3. Jared Conners
4. Jeff Teat
5. Connor Kirst
6. Dox Aitken
7. TD Ierlan
8. Ryan Terefenko
9. Jared Bernhardt
10. Ryan Tierney

Welcome back, Dox. With an absolutely explosive performance against Notre Dame and one of the best defenses in the country, Dox has finally found his rhythm and regained his form as a physically dominant dodging midfielder with two point range. After his slow start, Dox fell down the board a bit behind some of the other two I still think Kirst is the first midfielder to go, but there was a time in the last year where you could probably mock draft Dox among the first 2–3 picks in the draft, and I think that day is coming back soon. JT Giles-Harris all but locks himself in at 2 for me with his Thursday night performance against Chris Gray. Try to find situations where Gray was able to beat JTGH off the dodge. Go ahead. More than just winning that matchup, the eye-popping strength just jumps off the screen when you watch him defend. A simple lift check is enough for him to move offensive players off their line.

Attack

1. Michael Sowers
2. Jeff Teat
3. Jared Bernhardt
4. Ryan Tierney
5. Jake Carraway
6. Tre Leclaire
7. Tehoka Nanticoke
8. Mac O’Keefe
9. Ethan Walker
10. Asher Nolting

The Next Tier: Ryan Smith, Jackson Morrill, Adam Charalambides, Stephen Rehfuss

See you next year, Chris Gray. Presumably as the top overall pick. Jared Bernhardt continues to absolutely ether all competition. Two games against top 5 Rutgers, 13 points. Averaging about six points per game. The thing, with the stacked draft that we’re looking at, there’s a chance this all time great Terp is available to join many other all time great terps on, dare I say it, the Whipsnakes. Tehoka climbs the list a bit as he’s been a man on fire so far this season. Rehfuss has forced himself onto this list as he’s emerged as one of the most important pieces of one of the best offenses in the country. He’s not a PLL QB type attackman, but he’s got the skillset to make a roster.

Midfield, Sergio Perkovic Division

1. Connor Kirst
2. Dox Aitken
3. Charlie Bertrand
4. Tanner Cook
5. Nakeie Montgomery

The Next Tier: Logan Wisnauskas, Jack Hannah, Justin Anderson, Kevin Rogers, Alex Concannon

Connor Kirst and Dox Aitken probably could be in the other group. They will almost definitely be two-way middies at the next level, and are near locks to be the first two midfielders taken in the draft. The ideal midfielder for the PLL players both ends and has two point range, and the two at the top of this list can most definitely do that. They could have the instant impact that a guy like Bryan Costabile did last summer. Nakeie is elevating his game this year to a point where he looks to be operating at a different speed than other players on the field. He glides in and out of dodges. His game this year has been outstanding, scoring Kyle Harrison-esque goals at times, and basically never turning the ball over. Bertrand/Wisnauskas/Cook are bigger and more powerful players, but if you want explosiveness and speed, Nakeie is what you want.

Midfield, Brent Adams Division

1. Ryan Terefenko
2. Peter Dearth
3. Jeff Trainor
4. Danny Logan
5. Jamie Trimboli

Next Tier: Mitch Bartolo, Jonathan Donville, Bubba Fairman

“Do it all middie” these days really just means plays on offense and defense. But when they call Terefenko a do it all middie, he really does it all. Offense, defense, wings, can play man up or man down, he’s even out there taking faceoffs at times. Once back from injury, I think it’s feasible that he plays 60 minutes in a game. I really do. Dearth projects as a pure SSDM at the pro level, and if that is what a team wants he might be the best option in the group. With Penn getting the go ahead to play games against local schools, we will get a chance to see Bartolo with the Quakers this season.

Defense/LSM

1. JT Giles-Harris
2. Jared Conners
3. Gibson Smith
4. Ryan McNulty
5. Chris Fake
6. Koby Smith
7. Jake Kielty
8. Nick Grill
9. Arden Cohen
10. Kyle Thornton

The Next Tier: Brad Apgar, Nick Cardile, Pat Kennedy, Colin Squires, Teddy Leggett

JTGH was outstanding against Chris Gray. Gray finished the game with 3 points, two goals on 11 shots. Rewatching dodging situations, Giles-Harris clearly won the matchup. That kind of performance should be to rest any doubts about his spot atop the board. Nick Grill enters the list. Grill is going to be one of those players where you hear “people talk about this guy being too small!” but no one says he’s too small. He’s 5’8, which doesn’t matter. You know who proved it doesn’t matter? Literally a member of Nick’s family, BJ Grill. BJ has been a solid pro for years, and a Team USA alternate, and he’s 5’5. Since the start of the year Grill has impressed me most with his lateral quickness and cover skills, but he’s also been excellent in loose ball and “scramble” situations. He is always in the right spot on a ground ball play. Those kind of instincts and intelligence are tough to coach and develop in a player, so grabbing a guy who has shown he’ll make the right play is a good move. Another new addition is Brad Apgar, who if you don’t know, it’s because you aren’t watching D3 lacrosse. Apgar is a 6’4, 215 lb defenseman on Salisbury who has some of the best footwork you’ll see this year at any level. If there’s a player outside D1 to take in this year’s college draft, it’s Apgar.

Goalie

1. Drake Porter
2. Owen McIlroy
3. Mike Adler
4. Phil Goss
5. Colin Kirst

Next Tier: Alex Rode, Colby Kneese

Porter stays the king. Adler had a very impressive game against Syracuse and might have closed the gap a bit with McIlroy. Truth be told, the goalie talent in the league already, plus what just came over from the MLL merger, means that it’s likely one, maybe two at most, of these guys will win a spot on a roster. And that’s not even as a starter. Goalie is a packed spot in the league, and while these guys are very talented, they have their work cut out for them.

Faceoff Specialist

1. TD Ierlan
2. Kyle Gallagher
3. Gerard Arceri

Next Tier: Bailey Savio, Dan O’Connell, Connor Gaffney, Brian Herber, Jake Glatz, Charles Leonard

TD finally suited up for Denver. He went 14 for 14. The NCAA Rules Committee is a meme. It would absolutely shock me if the Woods don’t take him at 4th overall.