Five names that are playing their way up PLL draft boards

The PLL Draft is set. On April 14th, live from Bristol, the names of the next 32 draftees will be ready on ESPN+. While mock drafts and big boards tend to be content for all seasons, there are some rising stars in the college game playing their way into the draft conversation who may have slid down the list. First round picks tend to be anointed almost a year ahead of time, and it can be easy to overlook players who may play themselves into a draft spot through on field performance. With the college season now over a month old, and with plenty of sample available with a few games left before the draft, I’ve set to asking around about players that are on the rise. 

Nikko DiPonio, D/LSM, Utah

The Utes could realistically see two players from this year’s team go pro. Ryan Stines has been long known as a goal scorer and offensive weapon. PLL coaches already have that name on the draft board already. DiPonio, however, has definitely turned some heads this year. There are currently three players in D1 men’s lacrosse averaging 3+ caused turnovers per game. Hobart freshman Colman Craft, Lehigh’s Richard Checo (all time leader in the stat and already on draft boards), and DiPonio. His 6.14 ground balls per game leads all poles nationally. He also has five points to his name this year. Last year he picked up 96 ground balls. Every time he is around the ball, good things happen. He is a game changing force between the lines. Speaking with college coaches who have played against DiPonio, there is lofty praise being heaped on his game. Names like Ethan Rall have been evoked. That’s how much the motor on DiPonio pops to coaches. 

Henry Dodge, Faceoff, Maryland/UVM

Already highly regarded, Dodge has firmly cemented himself as the top faceoff option in the class. He currently is just over 71% facing off for the Terps. Sometimes with portal players, the refrain can be “let’s see him do it against a top tier schedule”. Well, feast your eyes. Dodge is 52/73 total on the season having played against Syracuse, Princeton, and Notre Dame. His performance against Syracuse is especially impressive. In the first half, Cuse specialist Johnny Mullen won a stretch of seven straight faceoffs. In the second half, Dodge adjusted and flipped the script, so much so that he finished over 50% in the game. He has turned the ball over just three times in five games. He has the physical traits to be pro ready, has that wrestling background that coaches love, and has the track record of success against the nation’s best.

Ryan Colsey, A/M, UVA

Part of evaluation of players as pros means sometimes (in fact, most times), you need to put aside the caliber of season the team is having and focus entirely on the player and their skillset. So forget for a minute that UVA is struggling in 2026 and just focus on the player. Colsey’s evolution from his first day on campus at UVA until now has been remarkable. He is an exceptional finisher and shooter. He has equal levels of accuracy and velocity from all release points. His time spent indoors has allowed him to mix in levels of deception to his shooting. In fact, that time indoors has catapulted him up draft boards indoors too. The WLA’s Victoria Shamrocks already spent a second round pick on him, fresh off his Minto Cup win with Coquitlam. NLL teams have taken notice and you can expect to see him drafted there as well. He led Team USA to a World Junior’s gold indoors. Colsey’s ascent as a finisher, and the way playing indoors has enhanced his game, has taken his draft stock to another level. The scary thing is that he hasn’t reached the end of the trajectory he is on. His game is still growing. The scorer upside on Colsey is tremendous.

Aidan O’Neill, A/M, Richmond

It’s tough to single out players on a team like Richmond, but the more I watch O’Neill, the more I see a pro. His shooting in his senior year has reached new heights. Coming into this year, his best shooting year was a 33% season as a sophomore. Through six games this year, he’s shooting 40% even. He’s been under 30% just twice (he shot 20% in the opener against Robert Morris, a game in which he had five assists). Five goals on nine shots against UVA, two goals on three shots against Georgetown. Whatever the volume, he’s an efficient and reliable weapon. Efficient and reliable are things that keep you playing in the PLL. He has pro size at 6’0, 200 lbs, and has served as a dodging threat, feeder, and finisher for Richmond in their versatile offense. Richmond’s Dalton Young went undervalued in the draft two years ago and has become a key piece of the Denver offense, so much so that Coach Tim Soudan locked him up through 2028. O’Neill can bring the same type of versatility and quality play to multiple spots on an offense. 

Cole Cunningham, D/LSM, Air Force

Availability is always going to be tricky when it comes to service academy grads. Cunningham, however, is the type of between the lines force that the PLL game loves. He was the ASUN Specialist of the Year as a junior, and is a caused turnover machine. Cunningham is slightly undersized, but for an LSM that can be overcome (just ask Ethan Rall and Jake Piseno). In 2025, Cunningham had 85 GBs and 17 CTs. This year he already has 13 CTs, he’s top five nationally in CTs per game. He posted six GBs and four CTs against Ohio State. In today’s drafts, coaches tend to skew towards the guys who want to be pros and plan on sticking around for a while; that’s not often the case for service academy players. But a team that thinks a little pole depth is just what they need to get them to the mountaintop in the next year or two would be well served to check on Cunningham’s pro interest.