MLS Mock Draft: Toronto FC selects Joey Dillon with No. 24 pick

The 24th pick in any draft is always going to be quite hit or miss.  There are occasionally gems to be unearthed at this stage in the MLS SuperDraft and if Toronto FC could grab Joey Dillon at this point in the draft they might just be able to find one.

Dillion has been a fixture at Georgetown the past four seasons helping to anchor their midfield and providing solid coverage for their defenders.  As a senior he was named All-Big East First team and co-midfielder of the year for the conference after helping Georgetown to share of the regular season conference championship.  He also helped his team pick up 14 clean sheets this season in 21 matches.

By featuring in all 21 of his school's games this year Dillon completed an impressive four years that saw him appear in every game his team played.  He also managed to start in 83 out of those 86 matches over his four years while Georgetown picked up an impressive number of clean sheets each year including 10 his junior year and 7 his sophomore campaign.

Dillon has the potential to be a solid defensive midfielder in MLS.  He is not going to be a big contributor to the offence as his 1 goal and 4 assists in college indicate but he allows those around him to have more freedom going forward.  Steve Neumann will almost certainly be the first Hoya taken on draft day but make no mistake that having Dillon with him in the midfield allowed him the freedom needed to be an impact player on the offensive side of the ball.

Dillon will likely take some time to adjust to the professional game but that is true of most players likely to be taken in the second round of the draft.  He has decent size at 6-0 but could do with a bit more strength and possibly a few more pounds as he is listed at just 160.  He does not rely on size though when playing and did most of his work with good positioning and solid tackling.  If he is given the time to make a smooth transition he could be a steal for a team in this year's draft.

What Toronto FC will be looking for in the draft: Depth, depth, and then probably some more depth should be on the menu for TFC come draft day.  CB and the middle of the park should be the top priorities for the club as both are looking quite thin once you get past the returning starters.

Who experts say TFC will pick: Most experts tend to avoid even offering an opinion on the second round of the draft since it is so hard to predict while others seem to think this pick still belong to FC Dallas.  Kevin Cope and George Fochive are two names that have been suggested as possible 24th overall picks.

Why I'm invariably wrong: There is a reason people do not try to guess how the second round of a draft will go.  The further you get from the top ten the more likely you are to be wrong.  Opinion on Dillon is mixed but most people see him as a very late first round or second round pick meaning he could wind up in a whole lot of places and TFC certainly have more than one need to fill.

Why I'm smarter than the pundits: Jeremy Hall and Matias Laba will not be enough to go through the entire season so at some point TFC are going to need to bring in another player capable of playing defensive midfielder.  The draft is a good place to get depth and Dillon is one of the best DMs who will be on the board.  With a few other DMs likely to go in the first round it could open the door for Dillon to still be on the board when TFC are selecting at 24th.

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

First Round

Second Round