The 2026 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft arrives at a pivotal moment for professional lacrosse in America. On Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, the best college lacrosse players in the country will hear their names called and begin their professional careers. The very next evening, Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. ET, history will be made when the first-ever Women's Lacrosse League College Draft takes place — a milestone that signals just how far the sport has come in a remarkably short time. Both drafts are presented by Q-Collar and will air on ESPN, giving lacrosse its biggest mainstream television stage yet.
For fans of the sport, these two nights represent something bigger than player transactions. They represent the culmination of years of work to establish professional lacrosse as a legitimate career destination — and the WLL draft in particular is a generational milestone for women's athletics.
How the PLL Draft Works: The Format Behind the Event
The Premier Lacrosse League's college draft operates on a model that rewards struggling teams and creates competitive balance. The draft order is determined by the reverse of the previous season's regular season standings — meaning the team that finished last gets the first overall pick. This year, that honor belongs to the Utah Archers, who hold the No. 1 selection in the 2026 PLL College Draft.
Every player selected in the PLL college draft receives a three-year contract, with salary determined by draft position. The first overall pick earns $30,000, second overall receives $28,500, third overall gets $27,500, and the fourth pick takes home $26,000. Every other selection earns $25,000. These aren't life-changing sums by major professional sports standards, but for young athletes who grew up wondering whether a professional lacrosse career was even possible, they represent something real and meaningful.
The PLL has run this draft since its founding season in 2019, when the Utah Archers famously used the inaugural first-ever PLL draft pick to select Pat Spencer — a selection that set the template for what the league would become. Since then, the draft has grown into one of the sport's marquee events, with increasingly deep talent pools as the PLL's profile has raised the stakes for college lacrosse recruiting.
The Top PLL Prospects in the 2026 Draft Class
This year's draft class is headlined by genuine debate at the top — a sign of the class's depth and quality. Several players have legitimate cases for the first overall pick, and the Utah Archers face a genuinely interesting decision.
Aidan Maguire (SSDM, Duke) leads most big boards and is widely considered the most pro-ready prospect in the class. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Maguire is a complete short-stick defensive midfielder who earned ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2025. He can play lockdown defense and contribute offensively in transition — a rare two-way profile that translates immediately at the professional level. For a team building through the draft, Maguire is the kind of foundational piece that doesn't require a lengthy development window.
Joey Spallina (Attack, Syracuse) is the class's most dynamic offensive talent. The Daily Orange has reported that Spallina grew up on professional lacrosse sidelines and has been preparing for this moment his entire life. His vision and feeding ability set him apart, and several analysts have him ranked as the best overall player available. ESPN's Paul Carcaterra has Spallina at No. 1 on his board. He enters the draft as a strong Tewaaraton Award candidate, which would only amplify his value.
Beyond the top two, the class offers strong options at multiple positions:
- Will Donovan (LSM, Notre Dame) — ranked among the top three on multiple big boards, a long-stick midfielder with versatile upside
- Eric Spanos (Attack/Midfield, Maryland) — an offensive Swiss Army knife who can operate in multiple systems
- Matt Collison (Midfield, Johns Hopkins) — a high-IQ midfielder who some analysts see as a potential top-three talent
- Mikey Weisshaar (Attack/Midfield, Towson) — a sleeper prospect with legitimate first-round upside
- Finn Thomson (Attack, Syracuse) — Spallina's teammate who has drawn first-overall consideration from some evaluators
The Archers' coaching staff, led by head coach Chris Bates, has been public about evaluating multiple options at the top of the board. That kind of genuine uncertainty makes for compelling draft-night viewing.
Every PLL Team's Situation Heading Into the Draft
The draft doesn't exist in a vacuum — each of the PLL's eight teams comes to the table with specific roster needs that shape how they'll approach their picks. The Utah Archers, picking first, have the luxury of taking the best player available. But for teams picking later in the round, positional need becomes a more complex calculation.
The PLL's current eight franchises span the country, with the league's geographic model continuing to evolve since its founding. Teams have varying depths at attack, midfield, and defense, and the 2026 draft class happens to be particularly rich at the attack position — which could push defensive and midfield prospects up boards as teams try to fill gaps rather than accumulate talent at one position.
Each team's final roster construction after the draft will give clues about how they view their competitive window. Teams that came close in 2025 will likely prioritize picks that address specific weaknesses, while rebuilding franchises may use the draft to stockpile young talent for a longer-term project.
History Made: The First-Ever WLL College Draft
While the PLL draft draws the bigger crowd, the genuinely historic event happens the following evening. The 2026 WLL College Draft is the first college draft in Women's Lacrosse League history — an inaugural event that will define the trajectory of the league for years to come.
The WLL's four teams — the California Palms, Maryland Charm, Boston Guard, and New York Charging — already conducted a supplemental draft to expand rosters from 13 to 19 players. The college draft adds four more spots per team, bringing rosters to their regular-season limit of 23 players. The California Palms hold the top pick in the inaugural college draft.
The supplemental draft gave a preview of the talent entering this league. Sam Apuzzo from Boston College went No. 1 overall to the Maryland Charm. Kenzie Kent (Boston College) landed with the Boston Guard, Marie McCool (UNC) joined the California Palms, and Sydney Scales (Boston College) went to the New York Charging. The concentration of Boston College talent speaks to the Eagles' status as a perennial powerhouse in women's college lacrosse.
For the college draft, the top prospects include Ally Kennedy, a two-way midfielder who has been a standout on the international stage for Team USA, and Ashley Humphrey, who set the NCAA single-season assists record with 90 in 2025 — surpassing her own previous record of 88 from 2022. Kylie Ohlmiller Rees, herself a legend in women's lacrosse, spotlighted 26 top prospects ahead of the draft.
The WLL's inaugural regular season opens May 15 when the Boston Guard takes on the New York Charging at WLL Opening Weekend at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The players selected Wednesday night will be on the field within weeks.
How to Watch the 2026 PLL and WLL College Drafts
Both drafts will air on ESPN, giving lacrosse its highest-profile broadcast home for this kind of event. According to ESPN's official coverage guide for the 2026 PLL and WLL college drafts, both events are presented by Q-Collar.
- PLL College Draft: Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
- WLL College Draft: Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN app will also carry the broadcasts for cord-cutters. For fans who want to track picks in real time, the PLL's own app and website provide live updates, and the league's social channels have historically run parallel coverage with prospect breakdowns and team reactions throughout draft night.
If you're a lacrosse fan who wants to gear up for draft night, consider picking up a lacrosse jersey for your favorite PLL team, or grab a complete lacrosse stick if the draft inspires a new generation of players in your household.
What This Means: Analysis of a Sport at an Inflection Point
The 2026 PLL and WLL drafts aren't just sporting events — they're data points in an ongoing story about whether lacrosse can achieve mainstream American sports relevance.
The PLL's decision to air both drafts on ESPN is significant. Draft coverage on linear television has historically been the domain of the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Getting lacrosse draft coverage on ESPN proper — not just ESPN+ — is a legitimizing moment, even if the ratings will be modest by comparison to those leagues. It signals that ESPN views the PLL and WLL as properties worth promoting, not just streaming filler.
The WLL draft carries even greater weight. Women's professional sports in America are having a genuine cultural moment in 2026, with the NWSL, WNBA, and NWSL all seeing attendance and viewership records fall. The WLL is entering its inaugural regular season at exactly the right time. The college draft — which turns what could have been a quiet roster-building exercise into a nationally televised event — is smart marketing and genuine sport at the same time.
The contract structure deserves acknowledgment too. $25,000–$30,000 isn't generational wealth, but three-year guaranteed contracts give young athletes something to build on. As the league grows, those numbers will presumably rise. The current figures are more about legitimacy than luxury — a signal to college players that professional lacrosse is a real destination, not a brief experiment.
The depth of this draft class — genuine top-five debate, a strong international pipeline through programs like Duke, Syracuse, Maryland, Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins — suggests the college game continues to produce elite talent. That's the foundation everything else is built on.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the 2026 PLL College Draft?
The 2026 PLL College Draft takes place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET. It airs on ESPN and ESPN+. The first-ever WLL College Draft follows on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN.
Who has the first overall pick in the 2026 PLL Draft?
The Utah Archers hold the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 PLL College Draft, earned by finishing last in the previous season's regular season standings. In the inaugural WLL College Draft, the California Palms hold the top pick.
Who are the top prospects in the 2026 PLL Draft?
The top of the board is legitimately contested. Aidan Maguire (SSDM, Duke) and Joey Spallina (Attack, Syracuse) have the strongest first-overall cases, with Will Donovan (LSM, Notre Dame), Matt Collison (Midfield, Johns Hopkins), and Eric Spanos (Attack/Midfield, Maryland) rounding out most top-five projections.
What contracts do PLL draft picks receive?
All PLL college draft selections receive three-year contracts. The first overall pick earns $30,000, second overall receives $28,500, third gets $27,500, fourth receives $26,000, and all other selections receive $25,000.
Is the WLL Draft really the first of its kind?
Yes. The 2026 WLL College Draft is the first college draft in Women's Lacrosse League history. The WLL conducted a supplemental draft earlier in 2026 to expand team rosters, but the college draft — televised on ESPN — is genuinely unprecedented for women's professional lacrosse. The league's inaugural regular season begins May 15, 2026.
The Bottom Line
Two draft nights, two leagues, and one clear signal: professional lacrosse in America is no longer a side conversation. The PLL has spent seven years building the infrastructure, the talent pipeline, and the broadcast relationships to make this moment possible. The WLL is arriving at exactly the right cultural moment to capitalize on growing interest in women's professional sports.
Watch for the Archers' pick at No. 1 to set the tone — whether they go with the polished, pro-ready Aidan Maguire or take a swing on Joey Spallina's elite offensive ceiling will tell you something about how the franchise views its competitive situation. And when the WLL draft opens Wednesday night, pay attention to how ESPN frames the coverage. If this gets treated as a genuine sporting event rather than a footnote, it will say something important about where women's lacrosse is headed.
The sport has earned these two evenings in the spotlight.
