The MLS Draft came and went. The Whitecaps not only drafted two guys but also got a roster player out of it. Let’s take a look at what they got.

Tate Johnson/LB/19

First of all, big thanks to Paul Harvey who’s NCAA dashboard is drawn on heavily in this article. Without this information it would be hard for me to say much of anything about these guys. Anyway, Tate Johnson is a 19-year-old left-back who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He’s on a Generation Adidas contract so he goes straight onto the roster, filling Vancouver’s last supplemental roster spot. Here’s what the data looks like for him:

The thing that pops right away for Johnson is his ability to move the ball forward. Between progressive runs (which, in Wyscout data, is when you run forward with the ball) and progressive passes, he averaged 14 progressive actions per 90. That is insanely good for a left-back (it would even be pretty good for a centre-midfield player). Obviously, the level of NCAA is much lower than MLS, so we can’t expect this to translate directly, but it’s still a sign that he could add value at the MLS level immediately. Plus, Johnson has something on his side that most draft picks don’t, he’s 19. This means you can reasonably expect him to improve significantly.

The area Johnson is clearly lacking is final 3rd contribution. 0.09 xG+xA would be pretty pedestrian in MLS but when you consider the level of opposition, it’s quite poor. Still, Johnson did have 1.6 passes into the penalty box which would be expected to lead to more xA. Perhaps that’s a sign that there is room for growth there. Regardless, it seems clear that Johnson is not the next Julian Gressel. He’s a player whose on-ball contributions are mostly going to come from deeper areas.

Now, this data does not have very much to say about Johnson’s defensive ability. He is on the small side, being listed as 5’7, 141 pounds. I don’t have a way to watch full NCAA games but his highlights package shows him doing a reasonable job defending 1v1.

Speaking of highlights, here’s a useful video showing all of Johnson’s touches in a game against Clemson.

The ball progression that the stats show is on full display, with Johnson consistently breaking lines through both dribbling and passing. There’s not a huge amount of defending happening here but the little bit that does seems fine. I think we’ll just have to wait and see to get a feel for his defensive ability. 

Johnson seems like a player who can fill in for Sam Adekugbe when called upon and potentially develop into a regular starter for the club. I’m fairly excited about him. 

Nikola Djordjevic/RB/22

In the second round, the Whitecaps picked up Nikola Djordjevic, another undersized fullback who plays on the right. Djordjevic played for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. Here’s his data:

The thing that pops about Djordjevic is his ball-carrying. 5.66 progressive runs per 90 is a lot. He has a little bit more pop in the final 3rd than Johnson, putting up a respectable though not outstanding 0.2 xG+xA/90. But everywhere else he is decidedly mediocre. He’s also 22, so unlike Johnson, he does not have as much room to grow. Still, with the departure of Elliot Goldthorp and Darko Ilic, there was no right-back on WFC2. Plus, the hit rate on second-round picks is incredibly low. So going with a player who has one extreme positive skill seems like a reasonable strategy.

Djordjevic has a highlights video but it’s from his rookie season. Still, the dribbling is on full display.

Broader Implications:

I didn’t expect there to be any broader implications but since the Whitecaps had added a player to their roster in the draft I think there is. The Whitecaps now have a full supplemental roster so, unless anyone departs, any remaining additions are going to be on the senior roster.

Looking at the current depth chart, the main area that needs attention is in the winger/attacking midfield positions with only Gauld and Caicedo on the roster. Everywhere else is more or less full. So, I’d say those are the positions to be watching for in the coming weeks.

The Whitecaps currently have all of their international spots filled so they would need to move someone out or buy an additional international spot to make non-domestic additions. So domestic players in those positions who might be available should be getting particularly close attention.

(Image Credit: UNC Athletics)