Over the past week, we’ve seen a slew of mock drafts, analyzed Combine performances and debated just who should go with the first overall pick in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft.
One thing we haven’t yet heard? The unfiltered takes of MLS coaches, scouts and GMs on the top prospects in LA. I spoke to several about Generation adidas players Jeremy Ebobisse, Abu Danladi, Miles Robinson and Jonathan Lewis, as well as breakout Combine performer Daniel Johnson. In return for their absolute honesty, they were granted anonymity.
Here’s what they had to say:
Jeremy Ebobisse:
“I think what’s unique about him is that, although it was pretty short, he got some pro experience under his belt. And I think that most teams look at that as a big advantage. Training [with Charleston] day in, day out, playing in five games, cutting your teeth, playing against grown men – I think people look at that as a real advantage. I think he’s a guy that, he’s evolved where he’s able to occupy the center backs and be a real presence up there.”
“Good, solid no. 9 and a guy that you know is going to take a little bit of work. But guys like Mr. [Cyle] Larin haven’t hurt young attacking players that can play up top alone.”
“We haven’t seen him here, but we already know enough about him. He’s good. There’s not a lot of questions to ask about him. If he’s on the board in your position, you take him. Clearly a position that you don’t find often in America, with the promise and the abilities that he has. But more than that is, he’s committed to it. He committed to it a long time ago, so you know you’re getting a player that’s not only motivated to perform, but motivated to stay. So I think there’s good tangibles and intangibles to a player like that.”
Abu Danladi:
“Plain and simple, the most talented guy here.”
“His God-given ability, with his speed, with his dynamic mobility, is huge. I think he’s played as a striker a lot at the college level, but I think you’re seeing teams that are also seeing that he can be an option out wide, based on your system. He’s got a profile that always has that ability to put a defense on their heels.”
“He is super talented. Remarkably athletic, fast, powerful – strikes a ball fairly well. At the end of the day, it’s up to the clubs to make sure it’s the right move for them because he’s a bit more of a wild card. Can he play up top alone? Can you transition him into being a winger? There’s a lot of questions in terms of how he translates into the pros, but there’s so many God-given abilities that he has, he’s well worth any risk. He hasn’t played a lot of games at UCLA in the last year due to injury and this and that and the other, so everybody has to do their due diligence as to why, and make up their own mind.”
Miles Robinson:
“Big athletic center back, decent player. He’s the type of center back that should succeed. Basically, if you have a center back that can pass a little bit, who has that size and can move, that should work.”
“Athletic presence, great recovery speed. I think that a real advantage that people are seeing with him is his national team experience, and he’s still young and there’s upside there for him.”
“Rock solid, obviously physically gifted, mentally appears to be the part. I’ve seen him play a number of times and (he's) just a guy that’s consistent in that position. That’s what it’s about, people. I’d compare him with – they don’t have the exact same qualities – but the comparisons you’ll hear a lot will be the same as [Steve] Birnbaum. Like, ‘he’s a good center back in college, but, you know, is he going to be consistent enough?’ And it’s all based on time and experience.”
Jackson Yueill:
“Jackson Yueill’s good, you can see that he’s clean in possession and that he sees the game. He’s simple. You see him connecting things … I would bet he’s a No. 8, the reason why being he’s not physical enough to be a No. 6 and he’s not going to play 10. He’s not a creative enough individual player that he’s going to be able to take that onto an MLS level.”
“The good thing with him is he finds great space between the lines and he’s always looking forward. His first touch is always positive and he’s always – it’s not like he’s looking to play backwards or sideways – any time he finds space between the lines, he’s always looking to administrate the ball forward, and I think that’s his biggest strength.”
“Good player. Obviously still quite young, still in the development phase, but tons of promise on the ball, technically sound, distributes a good ball. I think the next year, year-and-a-half is gonna about be speed of play and growth for him.”
“He’s a bit of a project. I don’t know if I’d nail a position on him because he’s not done growing and he’s certainly not done developing physically, and I think that kind of dictates where he fits. But he’s in the center channel, for sure. As he continues to grow, does he become a little bit quicker and become a bit more of a Kelyn Rowe, where you can put him wide and have him come in to possess? Or does he stick where he’s at, pace-wise and have to figure it out just in the center?”
Jonathan Lewis:
“He’s interesting. I’ve heard him compared to [Darlington] Nagbe in terms of the style of play and how he moves. I’m interested, and he had a very good first day [at the Combine].”
“Very good the first day. He wants the ball. I think that’s the thing that really stood out to me, is that he always wants the ball and always wants to make himself available. So that’s one I’ll be really interested to watch for the rest of the week.”
Daniel Johnson:
“He’s just been stupid good at the Combine, which is a total bummer [for me] because we had scouted him a ton and I know he was under the radar because no one was talking about him. We kind of knew his potential, and now it’s obvious for everyone. He’s a winger, he’s certainly not a central player, and if you put him up top, he’s just physically not built to play up there with the contact and everything. So I think, for him, he’s a winger, and in the right situation, right fit, he could have some success.”
