Just for the heck of it I browsed the NWSL draft picks 2013-2020. This thread is intended to take nothing away from players high on these lists (I myself was drafted into WPS by Sky Blue FC - an incredibly proud moment of my career).

https://www.nwslsoccer.com/draft-results-2017

My observations

Players & parents often put a lot of emphasis on where players are recruited for college & the pro draft. While it’s a major honor to be desired by coaches, these things are very poor predictors of the quality of a players’ career. Here are some things that are more impactful:

1. A player’s coach-ability and aptitude for improvement. We can see and evaluate where a player is today, but these things tell us where they’ll be in 2/5/10 years. What is their actual potential?

2. A player’s mindset. Players focused on continual improvement and who don’t feel like they’ve “made it” will impact much more over time than those who feel being recruited or drafted is the pinnacle of their career

3. A player’s love and passion for the game. Quite simply, they will have much lower points than their name being on this list. How will they react? Will they have the grit and emotional stamina to keep going and stick it out?

And last but certainly not least 4. A player’s goals. There are players not on these things who have been determined to be wonderful assets to their teams & climb the ranks. And they have. And there have been talented players on the list who don’t care as much. And they haven’t.

In conclusion, it’s just so important that players, coaches, and parents see these milestones as steps along the way and not final verdicts deciding a player’s future or worth.

Players: Don’t ever let a coach decide how good you’ll be.