Overview:
LCD's NLL Mock Draft looks at the best prospects available in the 2025 draft and projects where they might end up!
We are a day away from the 2025 NLL Draft and it’s time to predict where each player will be drafted, who could rise on the draft board, and who could be ‘the steal of the draft’.
With CJ Kirst being the presumptive first-overall pick, who else could hear their name called early? A hint, I project a run on offensive players in the early going.
Let’s jump right into our NLL Mock Draft!
Note: This NLL mock draft is for the first round only and is based on draft picks as of Friday, September 5, 2025.
NLL Mock Draft
#1- Toronto Rock–CJ Kirst, LF, Cornell, Mimico (OJLL)
As we discussed in our Players To Watch story, Kirst packs a punch in his game, which also showcases a rocket of a shot. With the Rock’s left side getting older (Mark Matthews is 35, Corey Small 38, and Dan Craig 31), adding a 22-year-old to that experienced and veteran offence will help Kirst excel at the box game.
With Kirst already having box experience and a solid tournament at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships, Kirst should have no issues slotting into a Rock lineup that needs a young, quick lefty.
#2- Toronto Rock–Ty English, LF, UNC, Oakville (MSL)
While I didn’t include English in our last story, I still believe that he has the potential to play the ‘Rock Way’ and fit very nicely into a Matt Sawyer lineup.
After spending a summer playing under Sawyer in the MSL, English tallied 15 goals and 33 points, good for second on the team, and learned about playing with other Rock members in Josh Dawick, Chris Weier, Zack Kearney, and Bill Hostrawser.
English is the younger brother of 2024 second-overall pick, Sam English, and even though he is returning to UNC this fall, for the Rock to have both English brothers in their system would make them an unstoppable duo for years to come. Their father, Andrew English was recently named to the Rock coaching staff as a strength coach as well.
Ty has been compared to Zach Currier in the NLL, fast, athletic, will play both ends of the floor, and has no trouble shooting the ball when asked.
#3- Toronto Rock–Braedon Saris, RF, Princeton, Peterborough (MSL)
Never before has a franchise had the first three picks of a draft. With Jamie Dawick having picks 1,2, and 3 in his pocket, he can load up on potential across all facets of the game. There is a likelihood that this pick gets traded, but we aren’t projecting trades in this mock.
Saris is a guy who will complement Josh Dawick and Chris Boushy on the Rock’s right side and play a lot of minutes while also learning under the new offensive coordinator in Dan Dawson.
The Burlington native will bring his scoring prowess and quick first step to a Rock lineup that is poised for a return to the playoffs.
#4- Las Vegas Desert Dogs–Will MacLeod, LF, Guelph University, Brooklin (MSL)
It’s not often that you get a chance to take a shifty, tall, left-shot forward in the NLL Draft, especially of MacLeod’s pedigree.
A Minto Cup champion, an NEC Conference champion, a 100-point scorer in the OJLL, and a Presidents Cup finalist, MacLeod has a long resume. That’s what the Desert Dogs are looking for.
With the Las Vegas franchise unable to reach the playoffs in its three-year existence, MacLeod’s high lacrosse IQ, coupled with Jackson Webster, Adam Poitras, and Holden Cattoni on their left side, will make for a great combination of size, speed, tenacity, and grit that could help them make the playoffs for the first time.
#5- Colorado Mammoth– Connor Nock, LD, Quincy, Owen Sound (MSL)
The Mammoth is stuck in the middle of what it needs. They shipped Zed Williams to the Rochester Knighthawks and have big shoes to fill on their right side, but on their back end, Damon Edwards and Robert Hope are pending free agents. So with two big holes in their organization, they could look to fill one of them with Connor Nock on defence.
Nock has been a winner since he entered the junior ranks; a 2022 Founders Cup title followed by back-to-back Minto Cup championships with the Burlington Blaze and the Coquitlam Adanacs. And since he’s been a member of the Adanacs, he’s already played under Pat Coyle and could bolster their defence immediately.
Nock is an athletic defender with good hands and shooting ability, which are traits you don’t typically see in your back-end players.
#6- Halifax Thunderbirds- Alex Marinier, RF, Ohio State, Cobourg (MSL)
With the Halifax Thunderbirds having their top three players in scoring last year be right shots, Alex Marinier could be their fourth righty to help them even more.
Randy Staats, Thomas Hoggarth, and Clarke Petterson were very good for the purple-and-orange last year, and with their right side all either entering their prime, or currently in it, Marinier has the potential to use his tall and big stature along with his dangerous outside shot to make the Birds a scoring powerhouse for a long time.
With the 6’3, 200-pound player set to attend Ohio State and not be eligible to play in the NLL this year, he could fall even further if teams are looking for a player now, but I still think that Marinier is the best choice for Halifax right now.
#7- Georgia Swarm– Casey Wilson, RF/T, Denver, Victoria (WLA)
The Swarm are in need of scoring depth. Lyle Thompson has been a menace since before he entered the league and hasn’t slowed down one bit. Aside from his rookie year in 2016 and the shortened 2019-20 season due to COVID, Thompson has scored 85 points or more, including hitting the 100-point mark four times.
While Thompson’s scoring ability has been prominent, it’s always been the depth on their right side that’s been a question in the state of Georgia.
Well, Casey Wilson may be the answer to their problem. With Brendan Bomberry, a pending free agent and, most likely, not returning to the Swarm, Wilson can slot right in on their right side and play with Thompson.
The unfortunate note, though, is that with Wilson reportedly tearing his ACL, which could sideline him for the upcoming season, it will be interesting to see if Georgia takes a chance on him.
#8- Georgia Swarm– Ben Trumble, RT, Colgate, Peterborough (MSL)
With Georgia having back-to-back picks in this year’s draft, they could grab a forward in Wilson and help their defence with a guy like Ben Trumble.
Trumble has the size, speed, and strength that every NLL GM wishes in a player out the back door, and with Trumble winning a Transition Player of the Year award in his junior days, his pushing the ball in transition and scoring are not out of the question and will help a Swarm team that wouldn’t mind seeing more scoring from their defenders.
#9- Calgary Roughnecks– Levi Verch, LD, St. Joseph’s, Nanaimo (WLA)
If Levi Verch isn’t NLL ready based on his physicality, athleticism, and toughness, then I don’t know who is.
Yes, the Calgary defence needs rights more than lefts, but I don’t see that being an issue when you have a 6’2, 212-pound horse on your back end. Verch reminds me a bit of Brad Kri, a big, physical defender who is hard to move and is miserable to play against.
He spent the summer as a member of the Nanaimo Timbermen and was a shutdown-type guy with his ability to pick off passes, rag the ball on the man down, and lay the body if called upon.
#10- Colorado Mammoth– Owen Hiltz, LF, Syracuse, Peterborough (MSL)
Hiltz is a player who will have an immediate effect on a team for wherever he ends up. But in an organization like Colorado, and playing under Pat Coyle, he’s sure to reach his potential for the crafty lefty forward.
Standing at 5’8 and 185 pounds, Hiltz is similar to a Connor Kearnan–quick, has a good outside shot, and can slip underneath defenders with his quickness, which makes him a dangerous player. Hiltz is also an elite passer who had a huge year in the PLL, showing his ability to play against top competition.
If the Mammoth were to draft Hiltz 10th overall, Hiltz would slot in as the fourth lefty on that side and play alongside Eli McLaughlin, Will Malcolm, and Connor Robinson. Hiltz would not only learn a lot from those types of players, but also use the skills he learned playing under Gary Gait at Syracuse that could propel him to a top offensive player in the NLL.
#11- Calgary Roughnecks– Kyle Pepper, RD/T, St. Bonaventure, Victoria (WLA)
With the Roughnecks in need of a righty defender and having two first-round picks this year, Kyle Pepper is the type of player that could adapt to the Orangeville-style of lacrosse under Head Coach, Josh Sanderson, and Defensive Coordinator, Phil Sanderson.
Pepper can take his game to a whole other level by showcasing all the tools in his arsenal; playing on the man-down unit, on the ball team, he can run in transition to generate scoring chances. He can also learn from a variety of Roughneck veterans who will look to return the Roughnecks to title contention.
#12- Halifax Thunderbirds– Bo Columbus, RD, Robert Morris, Brooklin (MSL)
A few people might look at this option and question, “The Thunderbirds already have Jake Withers, why do they need Columbus?” Here’s why.
With Withers having the highest faceoff win percentage in six of the last seven seasons, and having over 260 loose-ball recoveries a year ago, it makes him one of the best drawmen/defenders in the league, so if you’re able to draft a player who has faceoff experience and can play stellar defence, why wouldn’t you want that one-two punch at both the dot and on defence?
Columbus’s size and physicality will help on defence, and the veteran can show the rookie how to perfect his craft at the dot.
Columbus also has the potential to get more reps on defence before taking some of the burden off Withers in faceoffs, which would allow him to become a more versatile player, rather than just a drawman.
#13- Saskatchewan Rush– Jaxon Fridge, LD, Canisius, Burnaby (WLA)
For a team that made its return to the NLL Finals for the first time since the 2017-18 season, they basically have all the tools in place they need to make it back to the Finals, and just need general depth.
Jaxon Fridge is a guy who can provide general depth for their defence. With the likes of Matt Hossack, Holden Garlent, Ryan Barnable, Jake Boudreau, and Mike Messenger, Fridge is the type of player who can complement this Rush defence. His player comparisons would actually be Barnable and Boudreau, lefties who may not be the biggest but win with IQ and athleticism.
By using his high lacrosse IQ, ability to cause turnovers and scoop up loose balls, Fridge can shut down a team’s offence and can do the dirty work that leads to winning.
Both with Coquitlam in Jr. A and Burnaby this year in the WLA, Fridge has played in some big games, an obvious asset to the Rush.
#14- Buffalo Bandits– Isaiah Moran-Weekes, LF, High Point, Owen Sound (MSL)
Coming off their third-straight NLL Championship, the Bandits don’t really need anything else to add to their already star-studded lineup. They have a great offence that saw two players put up 100+ points, a defence that blocked 150 shots and a goaltender who became the first player in NLL history to be a part of two three-peats.
There’s not a lot wrong in Banditland; that being said, their offence only wields two lefties in Josh Byrne and Ian Mackay. With a guy like Moran-Weekes who was an under-the-radar type guy for a Mimico squad that was one game away from heading to the Minto Cup, he could really make this Buffalo offence even more potent. After scoring 14 goals and recording 35 points in the MSL this season, Moran-Weekes will be able to use his elite lacrosse vision and anticipation to help the Bandits chase a fourth straight title.
#15- Philadelphia Wings– Adam Thistlethwaite, LD, Albany, Peterborough (MSL)
When you’re talking about a pro-ready type of defender and a player that has gone from green to red in one summer, there’s nobody better than Adam Thistlethwaite.
After being taught by a legendary coaching staff in Peterborough, Thistlethwaite became one of the backbones of the Lakers’ defence, which saw them make it back to the MSL Finals for a fourth consecutive season.
The Cobourg native can use his lacrosse IQ and quickness to join a Wings defence that could be lacking on the back end, and without any transition guys either.
#16- Georgia Swarm– Kean Moon, RF, Robert Morris, Coquitlam (WLA)
Georgia is in a great situation by having three picks in the first round with a draft class that is full of depth at multiple positions, but what they need the most is forward depth.
Kean Moon is the full package that every forward should have. Shiftiness, quickness, soft hands, and scoring ability. With Moon recording 17 goals and 36 points for the Adanacs this past season, he has all the tools required to help a Swarm offence that is limited on the right side.
#17- Las Vegas Desert Dogs– Stuart Phillips, RF, Johns Hopkins, Burnaby (WLA)
I know what readers are probably thinking right now, “The best shooter in this draft class is falling to the end of round one. How is that possible?”.
Well, when you look at the shooters that the Desert Dogs already offer, it’s not hard to see why. Jonathan Donville, Jack Hannah, and Adam Poitras are coming off a great rookie campaign, and with a player like Phillips, who can shoot from the outside and body defenders, it’d be a no-brainer for Shawn Williams to draft him.
Phillips has a high lacrosse IQ, and if he’s able to use that effectively, he’ll have no issues in Vegas.
#18- San Diego– Nolan Byrne, LF, Whitby (OJLL)
This may come as a surprise to some people, but not really when you look at the numbers that Nolan Byrne produced in Whitby this past summer.
After being traded from Brampton to Whitby, the Greely, ON native had 61 goals and 126 points in 31 total games. But it’s not just his ability to put the ball in the back of that’s appealing to GMs, it’s his willingness to want to play.
Next level ready. 📈
— NLL (@NLL) September 4, 2025
Watch the first round of the 2025 NLL Draft on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 1pm ET.
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When Byrne injured himself in the playoffs, he still finished the game and scored the OT winner in round one. He then had to recover and never played in round two, but came back for the Ontario Finals and lit the lamp multiple times. Playing with Lucas Littlejohn and NLL-eligible forward Julien Belair, Byrne was able to hone his craft of outside shooting and ducking under his defenders to score.
Byrne can score from the inside, and we saw that plenty this season with his ability to finish on top of the crease. If Pat Merrill is looking for a young lefty forward that he can mentor and will learn from Ryan Benesch, Zach Currier, and Trent DiCicco, then Byrne will be a great addition to the Seals organization.
The 2025 NLL Draft is set to get underway on Saturday, September 6, at 1:00 PM EST with the Toronto Rock making the first-overall selection for the second time in their franchise’s history.
Thanks for reading our 2025 NLL Mock Draft! Disagree with our list? Let us know in the comments below!