Real Salt Lake SuperDraft Preview: Not quite a rebuild in the high desert | Armchair Analyst

Matthew Doyle

Ahead of the 2015 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. Real Salt Lake are still rocking the diamond, though the pieces are finally starting to change a bit.

The team is still the star, and continuity is still the king. But the mantra of continuity is a little less resonant at Real Salt Lake this year after an offseason that saw three regular defenders, two key midfielders and the GM all head elsewhere.

The loss of those players -- Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert, Carlos Salcedo, Ned Grabavoy and Sebastian Velasquez -- leaves some obvious holes that RSL need to fill. But the loss of Garth Lagerwey to the Seattle Sounders means we don't yet know the exact philosophy of the new braintrust, led by technical director Craig Waibel and head coach Jeff Cassar.

Mock Draft: Pre-Combine Edition

When in doubt, just assume that teams will go for the best talent available. There will be contributors still on the board when RSL pick at #16, as is the case every year. Waibel and Cassar now have to prove they're as adept at talent evaluation as Lagerwey and Jason Kreis were.

RSL SuperDraft selections: #16 (1st round), #57 (3rd round), #77 (4th round)

RSL Depth Chart: 20 players

Goalkeeper (3): Nick Rimando, Jeff Attinella, Lalo Fernandez
Left Back (0):
Center Back (3): Chris Schuler, Jamison Olave, Justen Glad
Right Back (2): Tony Beltran, Jordan Allen
Defensive Midfield (2): Kyle Beckerman, Pecka
Right Midfield (2): Luke Mulholland, John Stertzer
Left Midfield (1): Luis Gil
Attacking Midfield (2): Javier Morales, Sebastian Saucedo
Forward (5): Joao Plata, Alvaro Saborio, Sebastian Jaime, Olmes Garcia, Devon Sandoval

Primary Need: Left back

Allen and Beltran can both play left back in a pinch, and the RSL rumor mill has them looking at Jamaican international Demar Phillips. That's a good start, but three's not exactly a crowd at fullback over the course of an entire MLS season. They'll want to aim for a left back if one of the top two -- Andy Thoma and Otis Earle -- tumbles down to 16.

Problem is, quality left backs usually don't drop in the draft. And the problem beyond that is it'd be a reach to take either of the next two on the board all the way up at 16. That's a big no-no for a team that's always looked for the best value wherever they're picking.

No matter what happens on Thursday, though, this is a position of need for RSL for the first time in almost a decade.

Targets: Andy Thoma (Washington), Otis Earle (UC-Riverside), Jordan Murrell (Syracuse), Jose Ribas (Creighton)

Secondary Need: Center back

Olave and Schuler are two of the better central defenders in the league. They're also two of the most injury-prone central defenders in the league, and their only back-up -- Glad -- is a teenager who's probably 18 months away from being a fulltime MLS contributor. Cassar & Co. need to stock up.

Targets:Boyd Okwuonu (North Carolina), Tim Parker (St. John's), Aaron Simmons (UCLA), Axel Sjoberg (Marquette), Anthony Manning (St. Louis), Oumar Ballo (UMBC)

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