Ranking the top 15 players available in the 2024 NWSL college draft
The 2024 edition of the NWSL college draft, held on Friday night in Anaheim, California, will be unlike many others.
Several of the top players available competed for all five years of their eligibility, taking advantage of the blanket NCAA rule allowing student-athletes to compete an extra season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s led to a draft pool full of talented and experienced players at some of the best college programs in women’s soccer.
Despite this, this is a draft class without an obvious No. 1 pick, unlike every previous draft where the top pick was a player who had been in the fold with the senior U.S. women’s national team, like Naomi Girma (2022), Sophia Smith (2020) and Rose Lavelle (2017), among others.
About 230 players have registered for the 2024 draft. The top two picks will go to the Utah Royals and Bay FC, two new expansion teams entering the league for 2024, followed by the Chicago Red Stars picking third, and then the Royals, who traded up for the fourth overall pick. In all, there will be four rounds with up to 56 players selected by the NWSL’s 14 teams.
Here are the 15 best college players eligible to be picked in Friday’s draft.
15. Talia Staude, defender, Virginia
There is a long list of potential center-backs who have entered the draft, and it will be fascinating to see how teams evaluate and decide which ones to pursue. Staude is a fifth-year senior who made 103 appearances at Virginia, logging just under 9,000 minutes. She’s a classic, ball-playing central defender who will need to show that she can slow down the dynamic attackers in the NWSL. UVA has a long track record of sending players to the league, and Staude is perhaps the best bet from the program this year.
14. Cori Dyke, midfielder/defender, Penn State
Few players can match Dyke’s quality and consistency during her time in school; she’s from Colorado and played in 108 games for Penn State. Mainly a defensive midfielder, she dropped deeper and played along the back line for the Nittany Lions in the fall, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. She’s represented the United States at just about every age group, and can fill in a number of roles for whichever team ends up drafting her this week.
13. Ally Lemos, midfielder, UCLA
A late entry to the draft list, Lemos is one of the top young players in the college game who recently wrapped up her second season with the Bruins. She provided an instant impact at one of the top programs, named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team as a freshman in 2022, helping UCLA win the national championship that year. A central player who delivers quality set pieces, she’s just as effective from the run of play. Lemos was called in for next week’s U.S. U20 camp, with the team taking part in a World Cup later this year in Colombia. She’s likely to be a key player for that side, especially if she has embarked on a pro career by that point.
12. Kate Wiesner, defender, Penn State
A highly regarded defender with extensive U.S. youth national team experience (she’s played for the U.S. at U15 through U23 age groups), Wiesner’s college career got off to a bumpy start. Injuries limited her first two campaigns, as she made just eight appearances in her first two seasons of eligibility. She was able to stay on the field and be consistent over the past two campaigns at Penn State, making 44 appearances over that time. A quality left-back who can contribute on both sides of the ball, Wiesner is among the top outside-back prospects available.
11. Sam Meza, midfielder, North Carolina
The midfielder offers more of a defensive presence in central spaces, capable of disrupting play, reading the game well and connecting possession. A longtime veteran of the U.S. youth setup, including the 2018 Under-17 World Cup team, Meza is also eligible to play for Mexico and could seek options to play in Liga MX Femenil. Meza made 72 appearances for UNC, scoring seven goals and setting up 10 more during her time in Chapel Hill.
10. Croix Bethune, midfielder, Georgia
Health is the only factor keeping Bethune from being the top overall prospect; she’s proved at a high level her ability to make an attacking impact in the final third. While she could slip on draft day due to concerns over a knee that’s suffered three ACL tears, at least one team in the first round should take the chance. A dynamic central midfielder who can create scoring chances, she’ll be a fascinating player to watch on draft day. Her numbers back up that assertion. Between USC and Georgia, Bethune piled up 30 goals and 28 assists in 63 games.
9. Makenna Morris, defender, Clemson
Versatile and dynamic, Morris is a wide player who could potentially play as an outside-back or winger. She’s improved on a yearly basis in all facets of her game, coming through with a big impact in the fall, hitting a career high in goals (10). A member of the 2018 U.S. Under-17 World Cup team, she made 80 appearances in her four years at Clemson and is one of the top wide players available in the draft pool.
8. Eva Gaetino, defender, Notre Dame
The two-time ACC Defender of the Year is one of many intriguing center-back prospects in a draft that has several of them. She finished her career in South Bend after making 76 appearances, backstopping one of the conference’s top defenses over the past two years in particular. Mobile, athletic and good on the ball, Gaetino has recently been on trial at Paris Saint-Germain, French media have suggested. That could end up seeing her drop on draft day, although a team is sure to select her in order to retain her rights at some point.
7. Maya Doms, midfielder, Stanford
A U.S. youth national team veteran, Doms looks to make the jump to the NWSL after playing 100 games for the powerhouse Cardinal over the past five seasons. Finishing her career with 33 goals and 20 assists, she made her biggest statistical impact last fall, scoring 12 goals and setting up six more. Doms played for the U.S. U17 WNT at the 2018 World Cup.
6. Leilanni Nesbeth, midfielder, Florida State
A positional switch to central midfield unlocked Nesbeth over the past two seasons. She was part of FSU’s run to the College Cup in 2023, winning the whole thing. Her ability to navigate tight spaces and dictate possession were big elements to the team’s success. And while her game is predicated more on ball retention, she did manage to score 15 goals and set up 14 more in 89 career games. Replicating that and showing the defensive chops to win central midfield duels will dictate her next-level success.
5. Brecken Mozingo, forward, BYU
With the return of an NWSL team to Utah, several of BYU’s stars, past and present, are surely looking to continue their playing careers close to home. Mozingo did start her college career at UCLA, returning home to play the past four seasons with the Cougars. She was the star of the 2023 side that made a remarkable comeback in the NCAA quarterfinals, overturning a 3-0 halftime deficit to win 4-3 at home against North Carolina. The fifth-year forward saved her best for last with 14 goals and 15 assists in 2023, finishing her college career with 73 goal contributions in 93 appearances. Mozingo can play in just about any attacking position and is close to a lock to be picked in the first round.
4. Reilyn Turner, forward, UCLA
From a statistical perspective, Turner has shown impressive consistency at one of the nation’s top programs in her four seasons. She hit double-digit goals in each campaign, helping UCLA win the 2022 national championship. In 79 games for the Bruins, Turner scored 42 goals, adding 15 assists, including a season-high six helpers as a senior last fall. A striker who can play out wide or through the middle, she’s played for the U.S. at just about every age group she’s been eligible.
3. Savannah King, defender, North Carolina
If not for the sensational season of Jordynn Dudley, King was the top freshman in the country in the fall of 2023. After that, the defender elected to make the move to the professional ranks, where she’ll be a coveted young prospect available in the draft. A center-back for UNC this past fall, she played in all 23 games for North Carolina. Right-back is likely where she’ll play at the professional level. Prior to joining UNC, King played for the United States at the 2022 Under-17 World Cup in India.
2. Kennedy Wesley, defender, Stanford
Tough, athletic and capable of playing at left-back or in central defense, Wesley was a constant during her five seasons at Stanford, playing in 104 games. Part of the 2019 national-championship-winning side, Wesley likely projects as an outside-back in the NWSL. There’s a chance if she sticks there, she could potentially play her way into the conversation for the U.S. national team.
1. Allyson Sentnor, midfielder, North Carolina
In the running for the No. 1 overall pick (along with her former teammate King), Sentnor showed the ability to be a game-changer in the final third. An attack-minded box-to-box midfielder, she lived up to her reputation at North Carolina in the past two seasons, scoring 21 goals in 48 games, chipping in nine assists during that time. Sentnor’s a lock to have her name called early in the draft.
