2023 NWSL draft stalker: Full list of picks as phenom Alyssa Thompson becomes No. 1 at Angel City FC

The 2023 NWSL Draft saw California high school forward Alyssa Thompson take first place at Angel City FC thanks to a series of wild trades made in the days leading up to the draft. At just 18, the Los Angeles native should contribute right away and has unlimited potential if Angel City are able to develop Thompson well. In a normal draft, a high schooler ranked first overall would have been the craziest thing to happen, but in this 2023 NWSL draft, that was anything but normal.

Duke star forward Michelle Cooper moved into No. 2 while the top defenseman on the board was Florida State’s Emily Madril, who landed with the Orlando Pride at No. 1. 3 overall.

With a record 12 trades in the draft, the Washington Spirit was able to take control of the draft in the third round after the North Carolina Courage used their draft capital to amass four first rounds. There are many ways to build a roster in the NWSL, but the draft, especially this one, has talent from top to bottom. With COVID allowing players to have a fifth year of eligibility and in some cases transfer to other schools, like Penn State’s Penelope Hocking, this is a polished class and teams wanted add depth, and many have.

They will need that depth when the main players travel to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, which is why not only have many goalkeepers been selected, but some teams like Kansas City Current have basically selected brand new full-backs. Hocking also saw his twin sister Iliana head to NJ/NY Gotham FC creating a new sibling rivalry in the league. It was an exciting and record-breaking draft, which saw the United States Women’s National Team advance Lynn Williams traded.

Here are the full draft results:

Draft results

Round 1

• 1. Angel City FC – Alyssa Thompson, AV (Harvard-Westlake Prep)
• 2. Kansas City Current — Michelle Cooper, FWD (Duke University)
• 3. Orlando Pride – Emily Madril, DEF (Florida State University)
• 4. NJ/NY Gotham – Jenna Nighswonger, MID (Florida State University)
• 5. Portland Thorns FC — Reyna Reyes, DEF/MID (University of Alabama)
• 6. North Carolina Courage – Olivia Wyngate, FWD (Notre Dame University)
• 7. Chicago Red Stars – Penelope Hocking, MID/FWD (Penn State University)
• 8. North Carolina Courage – Sydney Collins, DEF/MID (University of California)
• 9. North Carolina Courage – Clara Robbins, MID/FWD (Florida State University)
• 10. Kansas City Current — Alexa Spaanstra, MID/FWD (University of Virginia)
• 11. North Carolina Courage – Haley Hopkins, FWD (University of Virginia)
• 12. Portland Thorns FC – Izzy D’Aquila, FWD (Santa Clara University)

2nd round

• 13. San Diego Wave – Sierra Enge, DEF/MID (Stanford)
• 14. Chicago Red Stars – Grace Yochum, MID (Oklahoma State)
• 15. Kansas City Current — Gabrielle Robinson, DEF/MID/FWD (West Virginia University)
• 16. Racing Louisville FC – Kayla Fischer, MID/FWD (Ohio State University)
• 17. Racing Louisville FC — Brianna Martinez, DEF/MID (Notre Dame University)
• 18. Kansas City Current — Jordan Silkowitz, GK (Iowa State University)
• 19. OL Reign – Shea Holmes, DEF (University of Washington)
• 20. Houston Dash – Sophie Hirst, MID (Harvard University)
• 21. Orlando Pride – Messiah Bright, FWD (Texas Christian University)
• 22. Houston Dash – Jyllissa Harris, DEF/MID (University of South Carolina)
• 23. Chicago Red Stars – Allison Schlegel, MID/AV (Penn State University)
• 24. Portland Thorns FC – Lauren DeBeau, MID/FWD (Michigan State University)

Round 3

• 25. Orlando Pride – Tori Hansen, DEF (University of North Carolina)
• 26. Spirit of Washington — Nicole Douglas, FWD (Arizona State University)
• 27. Angel City FC — Angelina Anderson, GK (University of California)
• 28. Spirit of Washington — Lyza Bosselmann, GK (Gonzaga)
• 29. Racing Louisville FC – Jaydn Edwards, MID/FWD (University of New Mexico)
• 30. Washington Spirit — Riley Tanner, MID/FWD (University of Alabama)
• 31. Racing Louisville FC – Riley Mattingly Parker, MID/FWD (University of Alabama)
• 32. Portland Thorns — Lauren Kozal, GK (Michigan State University)
• 33. San Diego Wave FC – Lauren Brzykcy, GK (University of California, Los Angeles)
• 34. Spirit of Washington — Lena Silano, FWD (Long Beach State University)
• 35. Kansas City Current — Mykiaa Minnis, DEF (Washington State University)
• 36. Houston Dash — Lindsi Jennings, DEF (Louisiana State University)

Round 4

• 37. Spirit of Washington — Civana Kuhlmann, FWD (University of Colorado)
• 38. Kansas City Current — Ella Shamburger, DEF (Vanderbilt University)
• 39. Orlando Pride – Summer Yates, MID/FWD (University of Washington)
• 40. Spirit of Washington — Delaney Graham, DEF/MID/FWD (Duke University)
• 41. Orlando Pride – Kristen Scott, MID/FWD (University of Central Florida)
• 42. Kansas City Current — Rylan Childers, MID (Kanas University)
• 43. Chicago Red Stars – Sophie Jones, MID (Duke University)
• 44. NJ/NY Gotham FC — Iliana Hocking, DEF/MID (University of Arizona)
• 45. San Diego Wave FC – Giovanna Demarco, MID (Wake Forest University)
• 46. ​​OL Reign — Natalie Viggiano, MID/FWD (University of Wisconsin)
• 47. Kansas City Current — Ashley Orkus, GK (University of Mississippi)
• 48. Houston Dash — Madelyn Desiano DEF (University of California, Los Angeles)