Clemson University defender Hamady Diop is the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday’s 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.
The Senegalese standout is going to Charlotte FC, who moved into the top spot after completing a trade with expansion side St. Louis CITY SC. The newcomers swapped down for the No. 20 pick in the 2023 SuperDraft, $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and conditional GAM.
Diop is one of 11 Generation adidas signings this year and earned Second-Team All-ACC honors after Clemson’s 2022 and 2021 seasons. The center back helped the Tigers win an NCAA Division I national title in 2021, and is the second Clemson product to go No. 1 after Inter Miami CF selected Robbie Robinson in 2020.
Charlotte have now picked first in consecutive SuperDrafts after taking midfielder Ben Bender out of the University of Maryland before their own MLS expansion season (2022). The Queen City side finished ninth in the Eastern Conference table and are entering their first full season under head coach Christian Lattanzio.
Top 5 picks
Aside from Diop, Generation adidas signings completed a clean sweep throughout the top five selections in Wednesday's SuperDraft.
- No. 2 overall: Orlando City SC select Duke forward Shakur Mohammed
- No. 3 overall: Colorado Rapids select New Hampshire defender Moise Bombito
- No. 4 overall: New England Revolution select Maryland midfielder Joshua Bolma
- No. 5 overall: Vancouver Whitecaps FC select UNC Greensboro midfielder J.C. Ngando
GA strong
The entire GA class comprised half of the first 22 picks (all Round 1). Including those mentioned above, they were:
- No. 7 overall: Real Salt Lake select Washington forward Ilijah Paul
- No. 9 overall: St. Louis CITY SC select Creighton midfielder Owen O'Malley
- No. 11 overall: Nashville SC select Clemson defender Joey Skinner
- No. 13 overall: Austin FC select San Diego State forward CJ Fodrey
- No. 16 overall: Real Salt Lake select Pittsburgh forward Bertin Jacquesson
- No. 22 overall: FC Cincinnati select Bowling Green defender Joey Akpunonu
Per MLS rules, GA contracts are not charged against a team’s annual salary budget.
