10 Top Prospects for the 2023 NWSL Draft
The NWSL Draft is one of the best nights of the year for NWSL fans as the next generation of talent enters the league. This year’s draft class is loaded with talent at every single position. The first round will feature game-changing talent who should make an impact in the league right away. The following list features ten of the best college players who would make the best pro prospects as of now. Some are four-year players who have used all their eligibility, but there are others who could stay in school for another year. Not everyone on this list may end up in the NWSL as a result. Hopefully all ten declare for the NWSL draft because the next group of stars is here.
Croix Bethune (Georgia, Midfielder)
View this post on Instagram
Croix Bethune has been a top-three prospect for the last three seasons and could’ve been a top pick in 2023 if she wanted to leave school. Instead, she followed her college coach Keidane McAlpine to Georgia and helped the Bulldogs earn one of their best seasons in school history. The only knock on Bethune has been a series of tough injuries, and she never made it through a full college season without missing a game.
However, Bethune is incredibly skilled and looks out of place in the college game. Her sophomore year at USC is when she was at her best. In 17 games, she scored 16 goals and ten assists, which is utterly dominant. As long as her body holds up in a league that’s even more physical than college, she’s a bonafide superstar who will run circles around defenders.
Trinity Byars (Texas, Forward)
View this post on Instagram
Trinity Byars is not far behind Croix Bethune, and there are other experts who feel Byars is the top prospect should she declare for the draft. When looking at her production in college, she’s outgrown the college game.
In her three years at Texas, Byars has racked up an absurd 47 goals and 33 assists. Those numbers are solid for any four-year player who was a star at their school. For Byars, it speaks to how she and Lexi Missimo carried Texas as far as they did. When you’re the go-to player for three years, you get used to being the player at the top of every scouting report. Every single team has done everything they can to focus on her and slow her down. That builds toughness and confidence, knowing that she can push through adversity and produce.
If she enters the draft, I project Byars as a similar if not better player than Messiah Bright, which means she’s going to score goals from the moment she gets to the NWSL.
Maya Doms (Stanford, Midfielder)
View this post on Instagram
Maya Doms was the heart and soul of Stanford this season and by far their best player. Whenever the Cardinal needed her to step up, Doms did it in a big way. It might not have worked out in the National Championship game, but she did score the only goal Florida State conceded in the tournament. Doms played in every game and had her best statistical season this year with 12 goals and six assists. She’s a box-to-box midfielder who can do the dirty work and defend, set up her teammates, and score.
Doms might be the most well-rounded, complete player in the draft. It might take her some time initially, but she’s a surefire starter whom a team can build around.
Reilyn Turner (UCLA, Forward)
View this post on Instagram
Reilyn Turner could return for another season with an extra year of eligibility, but if she doesn’t, she’s a definitive top-five pick. Turner was a top high school prospect and stepped on campus with a ton of expectations. Turner did nothing but deliver over the last four years. Double digit goals in all four seasons in a tough Pac-12 and a National Championship where she scored a last-second game-tying goal.
Turner has the stats, the historic moments and the skill to be a star in the NWSL. There’s no doubt that Reilyn Turner is the complete package, and any team will be happy to have her.
Onyi Echegini (Florida State, Forward)
View this post on Instagram
Onyi Echegini was a major contributor for Florida State last year, but this year was her breakout. The Mississippi State transfer blossomed into a goal-scoring machine under Brian Pensky with 16 goals and five assists. Echegini was one of the leaders of the attack that helped Florida State win the National Championship.
This season is sure to put Echegini on scouts’ radars as the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Any team that is looking for a goal-scorer will get a really good one in Onyi Echegini.
Makenna Morris (Clemson, Defender)
View this post on Instagram
Clemson put together their best season in program history, getting to their first-ever College Cup. Makenna Morris was at the center of that as their best player. When a defender is able to impact the attack and be the team’s leading scorer with ten goals, it shows how skilled and versatile Morris is. Plus, she did this in the best conference in America, the ACC. Morris was an obvious choice for First-Team All-ACC, and with those honors, along with the production and what she’s shown on film, she should be one of the first defenders off the board.
Julia Leas (Georgetown, Defender)
View this post on Instagram
Georgetown has become a perennial contender in the Big East and is one of the more consistent programs in America. Julia Leas has been one of the main reasons why as an anchor of their backline and a First-Team All-American. Leas is one of the best players in the country and is one of the most successful as well. In Leas’ five years at Georgetown, they won 67 games and kept a clean sheet in 54 of those games.
80% of the games that Leas was a part of ended in clean sheets. That’s an insane record over five years. The defender naturally played a huge role as their captain and leader. Leas is the player with the safest floor and the most reliable player possibly in the entire draft.
Eva Gaetino (Notre Dame, Defender)
View this post on Instagram
Eva Gaetino is the most decorated player on this list when it comes to accolades. The Notre Dame star won ACC Defender of the Year for the second year in a row and was a clear choice for First-Team All-American. As a junior, she could come back for another season, but she’s achieved everything a player at this level can achieve outside of winning the National Championship.
If Gaetino chooses to enter her name into the NWSL Draft, she has to be a top-ten pick and a cornerstone for a team to build around.
Kennedy Wesley (Stanford, Defender)
View this post on Instagram
Kennedy Wesley was a steady five-year player at Stanford who contributed every single year. This season Stanford’s defense was especially elite with 11 clean sheets, good for the top eight in the country, and a top 15 scoring defense in terms of goals-against average. Wesley was a key piece and leader of the defense in front of Ryan Campbell in the net. With five years of playing time at an elite program under her belt, she’ll enter the league a little more seasoned and ready to make an impact right away.
Maycee Bell (North Carolina, Defender)
View this post on Instagram
Maycee Bell missed most of last season due to a major injury and came back with a vengeance this season. Bell has the height, speed, athleticism, and ability to impact the game offensively as well. Bell has all the tools and the intangibles to go with it. She’s tenacious, ultra-competitive, and should be able to come in and become a starter for a team right away.
North Carolina continues to be a factory of pro players under Anson Dorrance, and Maycee Bell will be the next great player from Tobacco Road.
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
