The Premier Lacrosse League Draft is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday night, and Syracuse expects to be part of the opening conversation. Five Orange players are likely to be selected, with Joey Spallina, Michael Leo and Billy Dwan III among the names projected to come off the board.
Spallina has the clearest path to making the biggest splash. He is in the conversation for the first pick and has a chance to become the first Syracuse player selected No. 1 overall since the PLL was founded in 2019. ’s Paul Carcaterra and USA Lacrosse’s Dan Arestia both have him as their top prospect, while PLL draft analyst Adam Lamberti ranked him third behind Duke’s Aidan Maguire and Towson’s Mikey Weisshaar. Spallina was also the unanimous No. 1-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class, a distinction that followed him into college and has kept him near the center of every draft debate.
That matters because Syracuse is still in the thick of the hunt for its first national championship since 2009, and the draft comes with the program already producing an unusually deep class. Last season, the Orange had four selections in Sam English, Owen Hiltz, Michael Grace and Carter Rice, and this year multiple prospects could go in the first round. Leo and Billy Dwan III might wait until the second round, while Luke Rhoa and Finn Thomson are viewed as late-round steals.
The top of the board should tell most of the story. Utah and Boston hold the first two selections, and Joe, the general manager of the California Redwoods, owns the No. 6 pick, leaving several landing spots for Syracuse players before the night is over. For Spallina, the appeal is obvious: Lamberti said an attacker who can make the right decisions, score and find open teammates is “super valuable” in the PLL, and added that it is something Spallina has done throughout his career.
Leo brings a different profile. He plays both midfield and attack for Syracuse, finished with 24 goals and 18 assists in 2026, and came within two points of his career high. Teams are most likely to start him as a midfielder, a role that fits the PLL’s 52-second shot clock and the quicker pace it creates compared with the 90-second clock in college. By next week, Spallina is also expected to become Syracuse’s all-time points leader, which only sharpens the spotlight as Tuesday night approaches.
The draft should tell whether Syracuse’s latest group is viewed as a college pipeline or a pro-ready class. If Spallina goes first and several teammates follow through the first two rounds, it will be one of the clearest signs yet that the Orange are sending out more than a single star.
