The 2022 Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft was the 3rd draft in MLR history and followed the same format as the 2021 iteration, with 3 rounds of 13 picks each for a total of 39 draftees forming the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft Class.
As with previous MLR Drafts, the draft order is the inverse of the 2022 season placements. However the 2022 draft order also took the Championship Series into account, with the higher seeded Conference Finalist/Playoff Qualifier picking lower. The Dallas Jackals would pick first overall for the 3rd straight draft after finishing bottom of the standings, while Rugby New York would pick 13th in each round, as the reigning Champions. A number of trades mixed up the draft order considerably, with the LA Giltinis trading away all 3 of their selections to leave them with 0 for the 2022 draft.
The below table shows the complete 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft Class, including their draft number, name, position, and school:
Round | Overall Pick # | Team | Player Name | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Sam Golla | Lock / Flanker | UC – Berkeley | ||
1 | 2 | Sebastiano Villani | Scrum-half | St. Bonaventure | ||
1 | 3 | Cali Martinez | Prop | UBC | Pick acquired via trade with NOLA Highest drafted Canadian until Neil Trainor in 2024 | |
1 | 4 | Seth Purdey | Center | UC – Berkeley | Pick acquired via trade with Utah | |
1 | 5 | Owain Ruttan | Flanker | UBC | ||
1 | 6 | Chase Jones | Lock / Flanker | St. Mary’s | Pick acquired via trade with LA | |
1 | 7 | Trent Rogers | Prop | Kutztown | Pick acquired via trade with Austin | |
1 | 8 | Ethan Hager | Wing | UVictoria | Pick acquired via trade with SD | |
1 | 9 | Tai Kauwe | Scrum-half | Kutztown | Pick acquired via trade with ATL | |
1 | 10 | Matt Gelhaus | Lock | Kutztown | Pick acquired via trade with Houston | |
1 | 11 | Gabe Kettering | Prop | Lindenwood | Pick acquired via trade with NE | |
1 | 12 | Shane Barry | Flyhalf | UCLA | ||
1 | 13 | Doyle Hedgepeth | Prop | UQueens – Charlotte | ||
2 | 14 | Kyle Fulton | Wing | Arizona | ||
2 | 15 | Collin Grosse | Lock / Flanker | West Point | ||
2 | 16 | Sam Wegert | Center | Trinity Western | Pick acquired via trade with NOLA | |
2 | 17 | Tomás Casares | No. 8 | Thomas More | Pick acquired via trade with Utah | |
2 | 18 | Greg Janowick | Lock | Tennessee | Pick acquired via trade with NOLA, who acquired it via trade with Toronto | |
2 | 19 | Jack Manzo | Hooker | UC – Berkeley | Pick acquired via trade with LA | |
2 | 20 | Matías Caramuti | Flyhalf | Thomas More | Pick acquired via trade with Austin | |
2 | 21 | Oliver Kane | Prop | San Diego | ||
2 | 22 | Jack Shaw | Center / Wing | Bishop’s | ||
2 | 23 | Nolan Buckley | Flanker / No. 8 | UMass Lowell | Pick acquired via trade with Houston | |
2 | 24 | Mazvita Nyamarebvu | Center | Arkansas State | Pick acquired via trade with NE | |
2 | 25 | Neal Moylett | Flanker / No. 8 | Lindenwood | ||
2 | 26 | Alex Balladares | Prop | UQueens – Charlotte | Pick acquired via trade with NOLA, who acquired it via trade with NY | |
3 | 27 | Christian Olney | Wing / Fullback | Ohio State | Pick acquired via trade with LA, who acquired it via trade with Dallas | |
3 | 28 | Mike Weir | Flyhalf | Dartmouth | ||
3 | 29 | Billy Whiteside | Lock | Lindenwood | Pick acquired via trade with NOLA | |
3 | 30 | Sam Buckley | Prop | Lindenwood | ||
3 | 31 | Gabe Casey | Utility Back | UVictoria | ||
3 | 32 | Denver Fatt | Prop | UVictoria | Pick acquired via trade with LA | |
3 | 33 | John DuPree | Flanker | Central Washington | Pick acquired via trade with Austin | |
3 | 34 | KoiKoi Nelligan | Hooker | West Point | ||
3 | 35 | Evan Conlon | Scrumhalf | Lindenwood | ||
3 | 36 | Jason Tidwell | Utility Back | Texas A&M | Pick acquired via trade with Houston | |
3 | 37 | Ivan Pula | Prop | Central Washington | ||
3 | 38 | James Kuahiwinui | Prop | Iowa Central | ||
3 | 39 | Brandon Karnes | Prop | Iowa State | Pick acquired via trade with ATL, who acquired it via trade with Utah, who acquired it via trade with NY |
With their third 1st overall pick in as many drafts, the Dallas Jackals selected UC, Berkeley product Sam Golla as the first forward to be drafted 1st overall. Cali Martinez became the highest drafted Canadian in MLR history after he was selected 3rd overall by Old Glory DC out of the University of British Columbia. For more information on any trades, please refer to the Trades page.
The below tables show how many picks each MLR team had during the 2022 draft, and which Colleges had the most draftees selected:
Team | Draft Picks |
---|---|
7 | |
5 | |
5 | |
4 | |
4 | |
4 | |
3 | |
2 | |
2 | |
2 | |
1 |
7 times in the 2022 draft,
an MLR record for a single
draft at the time
College | Logo | Number of Draftees |
---|---|---|
Lindenwood | 5 | |
Kutztown | 3 | |
UCal – Berkeley | 3 | |
Victoria | 3 | |
Central Washington | 2 | |
Thomas More | 2 | |
British Columbia | 2 | |
Queens – Charlotte | 2 | |
West Point | 2 | |
Arizona | 1 | |
Arkansas State | 1 | |
Bishop’s | 1 | |
Dartmouth | 1 | |
Iowa Central | 1 | |
Iowa State | 1 | |
Ohio State | 1 | |
San Diego | 1 | |
St. Bonaventure | 1 | |
St. Mary’s | 1 | |
Tennessee | 1 | |
Texas A&M | 1 | |
Trinity Western | 1 | |
UCLA | 1 | |
UMass Lowell | 1 |
the 2nd year in a row!