The DII and DIII players who could push for PLL roster spots this summer

Good players can come from anywhere. Bills quarterback and NFL MVP Josh Allen played his college ball at Wyoming; not exactly a traditional power. 13 year NBA pro and current NBPA president CJ McCollum played his college ball at Lehigh. Talent evaluators who stick strictly the the top end of DI and failed to check across the full landscape of the game, including DII and DIII, run the risk of missing elite players and pro prospects. All of the MLL did it with Kyle Hartzell, who was a supplemental draft pick from Salisbury that went on to a 16 year, likely Hall of Fame, career. 

Since the inaugural PLL Draft in 2019, only players from outside of DI have been picked. Connor Farrell, out of then DII LIU Post was selected. Farrell was an All Star and Faceoff Specialist of the Year finalist, and currently plays for the Buffalo bandits in the NLL. In 2021, Max Wayne was selected from DIII Christopher Newport, and he’s been in and out of the Cannons lineup. He was signed by Boston for another year this offseason. In 2023, one of the most prolific college scorers ever, Cross Ferrera, was selected from Salisbury. Ferrera is a weekly starter for then Chrome, now Outlaws, and hit a game winning goal in his first pro game. Wayne was selected in the third round, Farrell and Ferrera went in round four.

The 2025 draft is not nearly as deep as the 2024 draft, meaning there’s more opportunity for DII and DIII players to get a look. While these players might not be draft picks, I’d expect some of them as post draft additions when rosters expand for training camp. That comes with the caveat that they don’t pursue a grad year or test the portal for a year in DI. 

Brice Bromwell, Midfield, Salisbury

A senior at Salisbury this year, Bromwell has evolved his game this season. In the past, players Ferrera and Jude Brown were primary dodgers and distributors from attack. Bromwell took on that role this year, and he’s doing it from the midfield. He currently has 49 assists in just 16 games. He’s at a career high 91 points with games left to play. For all his usage and distribution of the ball, he only has 14 turnovers. He’s never shot worse than 33% on the season. He’s had the game winning goal six times in Salisbury’s 16 games. At 6’1, 185 lbs, he may be slightly undersized for a PLL midfielder, but his elusiveness and vision are worth a look at the pro level. 

John DeFazio, D/LSM, Salisbury

The preseason Player of the Year in DIII, DeFazio is one of the most versatile defenders in college lacrosse. He is equally as effective guarding midfielders as he is attackmen. He gets the top matchup every week, regardless of position. Where he really excels is off the ground. DeFazio also takes faceoff wings, and has some of the best ground ball skills I’ve ever seen. His ground ball totals for the last four seasons including this one are 91, 106, 99, and 87 (he will add to this total). For his career, he averages over four ground balls per game and two caused turnovers per game. He also has 13 points. Even against pro level competition, I trust DeFazio to come out of ground ball scrums with possession consistently. The question for him will be about covering pro level dodgers, which is why he’s worth a camp tryout or late round pick. 

Joe Perry, Goalie, RPI

As noted in some of my other draft work, goalies get picked late, sometimes not at all, and can still go on to exceptional careers. Both Jack Kelly and Blaze Riorden were selected later than the 50th pick in their respective drafts. Perry has a story that feels a little familiar. He’s from Rhode Island and was under recruited in high school. He has a twin brother, Andrew, who plays at Harvard. But he’s rewarded RPI for giving him an opportunity. He’s already a Kelly Award winner (nation’s top goalie), and could win his second this year. As of this writing, he’s sporting a .606 save percentage and a 7.59 GAA. This isn’t against lightweights; the Liberty League has high end talent, including potential pros on the RIT roster. Perry also has three goals this year, he’s aggressive in getting the ball down the field in a way that translates to PLL play. Physically, he’s got pro size in net. 6’3, 215, with pro level angle play and footwork. Goalie is not a position that comes open often, but there are a few teams that may be in the market for one. Perry should be on their watch list. 

Warner Cabaniss, Faceoff, Christopher Newport

It’s not a super deep draft at faceoff, which means teams in the market for one make look beyond the obvious names like Will Lynch or Will Coletti. A club who doesn't love Lynch and is concerned about availability with Coletti might expand their scout a bit. Cabaniss has dominated every year at Christopher Newport. His worst season there saw him go 61.4% facing off. He had 176 ground balls and five points that year. He has logged a staggering number of draws in four years. He’s up to 1,596 draws taken, and has won 1,039 of them, a 65.1% career average. With 1,039 career wins, he has committed just 52 career turnovers and never more than 20 in a year. Cabaniss also has 652 career ground balls. Cabaniss is also listed at 6’0, 200 lbs, giving him the physicality that’s needed in matchups with the likes of Trevor Baptiste and Mike Sisselberger. 

Dylan Renner, Goalie, Adelphi

Renner started his career at LIU behind a goalie named Will Mark, but transferred to Adelphi and became their starter in 2022. In 2024 he won the Enners Award and the Kelly Award (Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Goalie, respectively). Last year, he had the best save percentage in America regardless of division at .647. This year, he is currently sporting a GAA of 6.02, and has yet to allow double digit goals. He’s got a save percentage of .629. Read the profile of Renner by Kyle Devitte in USA Lacrosse Magazine, and you’ll read the story of someone who is built for the pros. Not even just from a skill and ability perspective, but he has a PLL personality. Put a mic on him and enjoy the results. As the pro stock of players like Michael Gianforcaro and Jack Fracyon has slipped a bit this year, Renner’s has room to rise. 

Matt Paolatto, Faceoff, Union/Rutgers

Maybe cheating a little bit here because Paolatto is at Rutgers now, but he spent most of his career at DIII Union. At Union, he was a Faceoff Specialist of the Year winner and a first team All American. Over three seasons, he went 69.2% facing off, including a 71.7% season his last year there. He also had nine points his last year at Union, and picked up 494 ground balls over three years. All that in just 58 games. He’s mostly kept his form at Rutgers. He’s right at 60% for the Scarlet Knights, and has taken 249 draws this year. He has six points, and has only committed eight turnovers.