The 10th annual NWSL Draft has arrived and every team is slated to participate over four rounds and 50 selections. The draft will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and fans can tune into the event on CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. We have you covered with everything between how the draft actually works and breaking down the top prospects. With the conclusion of the NWSL Expansion Draft -- where we saw a flurry of trades and intrigue -- the next draft event is already taking shape, so lets take a look at how the first round could shake out on draft day.
Want more coverage of the NWSL draft? Listen below and make sure to follow Attacking Third, A CBS Soccer Podcast devoted to bringing you everything you need to know from the NWSL and women's soccer around the globe.
2022 NWSL Mock Draft
| 1 | San Diego Wave FC: Jaelin Howell, M, Florida State |
| After selecting USWNT midfielder Kristie Mewis in the expansion draft and trading her to NJ/NY Gotham FC for $200,000 in allocation money, the franchise is in need for midfielders and two-time College Cup champion fits the bill. | |
| 2 | Racing Louisville FC: Naomi Girma, D, Stanford |
| Girma would be a great fit for a Racing side that needs to fill the void left behind by centerback Kaleigh Riehl, who was selected by San Diego with the last pick of the expansion draft. Girma's ability to slot in at the position would provide an immediate boost for the club. | |
| 3 | North Carolina Courage: Mia Fishel, F, UCLA |
| Arguably the best available forward on the draft list, Fishel is making the leap to go pro after three years with UCLA. The Courage are in need of attacking options as they officially head into a new era under Sean Nahas. | |
| 4 | Racing Louisville FC: Savannah DeMelo, M, USC |
| The club could use some more midfield depth along with boosting their backline. Taking DeMelo would give them some hope of having more options available in the middle third. | |
| 5 | Orlando Pride: Sydny Nasello, F, South Florida |
| The Pride need to add more attacking options in alongside Sydney Leroux and the local college prospect is a good option for them here. | |
| 6 | North Carolina Courage: Diana Ordoñez, F, Virginia |
| Ordonez is skipping her senior collegiate season to go pro after a prolific junior year with 18 goals, which was tops in the ACC. The Courage just lost Jessica McDonald to Louisville in order to acquire this pick, so it would only make some sense if they found another forward to work alongside Lynn Williams up top -- or even for depth. Seems like a great match. | |
| 7 | Kansas City Current: Sydney Cummings, D, Georgetown |
| After giving their midfield a boost by acquiring USWNT midfielder Sam Mewis and signing NWSL veteran Lo'eau LaBonta, the Current could look for some backline depth after some struggles defensively last season. | |
| 8 | NJ/NY Gotham FC: Emily Gray, M, Virginia Tech |
| The New Jersey native is coming off a strong senior season with 12 goals and eight assists. As a midfielder, Gray could benefit from developing alongside two other NWSL pros with Gotham's Allie Long and McCall Zerboni. | |
| 9 | San Diego Wave FC: Marley Canales, M, UCLA |
| The San Diego native going to homegrown club to fill its hole at midfield would be a perfect match. Canales has earned All-Pac-12 honors and has ties to the U.S. youth national teams. | |
| 10 | OL Reign: Izzy Rodriguez, D, Ohio State |
| Rodriguez earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and made First Team All-Big Ten in the spring season as co-captain of the Buckeyes. Rodriguez, who played for the United States in the 2018 U-20 World Cup, is naturally a left back but OL Reign could in theory slide her in as a left center back if needed. | |
| 11 | Chicago Red Stars: Julie Doyle, F, Santa Clara |
| The Red Stars need frontline help after bidding farewell to Katie Johnson and Makenzy Doniak ahead of the expansion draft. Unknowns around Kealia Watt's injury sustained in the 2021 semifinal highlight Chicago's need for forward depth. Doyle's strength on the wing could be a solid pickup for the Red Stars. | |
| 12 | North Carolina Courage: Raleigh Loughman, M, Michigan |
| After going with two forwards for their first two picks of Round 1, we have the Courage addressing their need for midfield options alongside Debinha and Denise O'Sullivan. Loughman was essential during Michigan's championship run in the Big Ten tournament and is a midfielder who can score and be a playmaker for those around her. | |
