Three Nittany Lions Named Top National Lacrosse League Draft Prospects
Three prominent Nittany Lions were included in Inside Lacrosse’s top 50 National Lacrosse League (NLL) draft prospects this week.
Mac O’Keefe was rated highest of the Penn State players, coming in at No. 29. The Syosset, New York native still has a year of eligibility in Happy Valley but will still be available for the draft.
O’Keefe has scored 189 goals in his prolific Penn State men’s lacrosse career, leaving him within touching distance of Justin Guterding’s NCAA record of 212. However, Inside Lacrosse’s Stephen Stamp sees the record transferring to State College this spring.
“O’Keefe has 189 goals, leaving him 24 short of breaking the record, and he scored 25 goals in just six games in the abbreviated 2019 season,” Stamp wrote.
Dylan Foulds and Grant Ament round out the Nittany Lions’ representation at No. 34 and No. 35, respectively, on the list.
It may be surprising that Foulds slots in ahead of Ament, one of the most decorated collegiate players of all time. The reason? Foulds’ experience in box lacrosse.
Foulds had a 96-point 2018 British Columbia A Lacrosse League season (BCJALL).
“Foulds averaged 4.2 points per game in his 10 games against top-four teams in 2018 and 6.8 against bottom-four teams,” Stamp wrote. “That means he scored 62% more points per game against the weaker teams than the stronger ones. It’s not unusual to score more against lower-ranked teams, and it’s encouraging that Foulds was still putting up a solid average against New Westminster, Victoria and Coquitlam.”
Like O’Keefe, Foulds won’t be able to play in this season for an NLL franchise, however he can still be drafted.
On the other hand, current professional Ament could be ready to make a splash in yet another league. Since moving on from Penn State, Ament has lit up the Premier Lacrosse League, widely considered the top flight in the sport. Ament will be able to play in the NLL this year because the leagues won’t overlap.
Ament carries no box experience into his potential draft. However, it may not matter for one of the best in the sport.
The NLL Draft is scheduled for September 17 and will be streamed on B/R Live as well as the league’s Youtube channel.
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