Gavin Adler, Cornell (Defense)
Best Landing Spots: Atlas, Chrome
ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra recently listed Adler as the top draft prospect on his big board, and the Big Red defenseman could be a shoe-in for the number one overall pick to the Bulls. New head coach Mike Pressler said he wants a strong leader and locker room guy.
Adler certainly fits that description.
The 5-foot-8-inch defenseman is as gritty as anybody in the country. He plays extremely hard and has become a strong leader for Cornell over the last two seasons. Outside of those intangibles, he’s also an incredible defenseman.
This is arguably the best defensive draft class in pro lacrosse history, and Adler is the best pure cover guy of the bunch. Atlas has a strong group of long poles, but the Bulls lack a truly elite top cover defenseman.
As mentioned before, Tim Soudan already stated Chrome would go after Adler if he fell to four. Outside of JT Giles-Harris, Chrome needs long term solutions at close defense. Mike Manley and Jesse Bernhardt are excellent players, but both are nearing the end of their professional careers.
A one-two punch of Giles-Harris and Adler would be a ridiculous defensive core to build around for the future.
