MLS Mock Draft: Whitecaps select Nikita Kotlov with the No. 30 pick

MLS is a gritty, physical league, and while that sounds like it might not suit the 5'9 Kotlov, scouts are praising his never ending motor, his tenacity and hard work on the pitch. You can never have too many hard workers on your team, especially on a club where some young players (*cough DARREN MATTOCKS *cough) have had their work ethic come into question. He's known as a smart two way player, which could work well now that defensive specialist Jun-Marques Davidson is gone.

Another plus; his thrown in's are known as herculean, a nifty asset to have on the pitch, especially in the offensive end. However, like most rookies, he needs to learn to beat MLS defenders one on one, and he must overcome his lack of size.

Who the experts say Vancouver will pick: Joey Dillon, mostly. Tomato, tomato. (That doesn't really work in print, I guess.) Another midfielder chosen to add some depth to a club that desperately needs a playmaker beyond Russell Teibert, who spends most of his time up front anyways. Dillon is more in the aforementioned 'Jun-Marques Davidson' mold, which might not mesh with Carl Robinson's system. We know that the fired Martin Rennie saw the value in the holding spot, will Robinson have a new approach?

Why I’m invariably wrong: Kotlov is very small, and the Whitecaps already have a pint-sized hero in Camilo. Plus, will the Whitecaps really be looking to add more defensive midfielders? If that was the case, surely they would have re-signed Davidson, who was a specialist in that category. The club may want to extract as much midfield creativity and attacking from this draft, as opposed to defensive ability.

Why I’m smarter than the pundits: If Kotlov comes as advertised, then he's basically the energizer bunny with a penchant for locking down the midfield defensively. That is something that would be very tempting to pass up, especially when you consider it would free up Gershon Koffie to perhaps make more of an impact offensively. He tried his best in the holding role at times last season, and while he actually did pretty well, you'd like to see him in the attack more.

Full Mock Draft results (click on player names to see the profiles)

First Round

Second Round