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We’re just two weeks away from the 2017 MLS SuperDraft taking place in Los Angeles. As of now, Atlanta United hold two of the top ten picks in the draft (No. 2 and No 8 overall).
We’ll be going heavy in our coverage of the possibilities Atlanta United could end up with in the coming days. For now, the folks over at Draft Utopia have released one of the first mock drafts that we’ve seen.
Here’s who they see the first round playing out:
They have Minnesota taking U.S. U-20 forward Jeremy Ebobisse with the first overall pick. After that, they predict that Atlanta will take UCLA attacker Abu Danladi. The Junior was close to signing with MLS before the 2016 SuperDraft, but the league couldn’t finalize a deal with him. If the two can work out their issues, then Danladi becomes one of the top prospects in this draft.
With the eighth pick, Draft Utopia have Atlanta selecting Reagan Dunk, a defender from the University of Denver. The Senior can play all across the back line and has been invited to the MLS Player Combine.
Considering Atlanta’s current roster construction, it would be a tad surprising to see them draft a highly-rated forward like Danladi or Ebobisse unless they felt they were truly elite prospects. Defense seems like the most likely scenario for that No. 2 pick, if they elect to keep it. There’s always a possibility that they shop it around to other teams looking to land one of those top forward options.
I’ll be honest and say I don’t know how well-versed Draft Utopia is in the soccer realm. They cover all sports, but I thought this would give you a good idea of what the draft could look like in a few weeks.
Their picks don’t differ too much from Top Drawer Soccer’s most recent big board. However, in MLS, drafts like these don’t always follow the chalk that the experts predict prior to the event. We’ll have to see how it all plays out soon.
We’ll be going more in-depth soon on Atlanta’s options. Hopefully this gave you a little taste of what January 13th will look like.