The 2016 NWSL College Draft will be held on Jan. 15, 2016, in Baltimore, Md. (Photo Copyright Jeff Kassouf for The Equalizer)
The 2016 NWSL College Draft will once again be held in conjunction with the annual NSCAA Convention, with the draft set for Jan. 15 in Baltimore.
The draft will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center, with the time and room to be announced at a later date. It will be open to the public.
Last year, the NWSL held its draft in Philadelphia the past two years in conjunction with the NSCAA Convention. Last year’s draft was open to the public and featured a packed crowd. It was a major upgrade from the NWSL’s humble draft beginnings. The inaugural NWSL College Draft in 2013 was a closed-door event — even to media, who sat in the room next to the team room and learned of the selections via Twitter along with the rest of fans around the world, despite being next door in Indianapolis.
Previous No. 1 picks in the NWSL College Draft have been Zakiya Bywaters (Chicago Red Stars, 2013), reigning NWSL MVP Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit, 2014) and Morgan Brian (Houston Dash, 2015).
The current 2016 NWSL College Draft order — after Thursday’s trade between Boston and Washington — is as follows:
| Round | Pick | Team |
| 1 | 1 | Portland Thorns FC (via ORL) |
| 1 | 2 | Portland Thorns FC ( via BOS) |
| 1 | 3 | Sky Blue FC |
| 1 | 4 | Seattle Reign FC (via WNYF) |
| 1 | 5 | Houston Dash ( via SRFC/PTFC) |
| 1 | 6 | Houston Dash |
| 1 | 7 | Washington Spirit |
| 1 | 8 | FC Kansas City |
| 1 | 9 | Chicago Red Stars |
| 1 | 10 | Portland Thorns FC (via SRFC)* |
| 2 | 11 | Orlando Pride |
| 2 | 12 | Washington Spirit (via BOS) |
| 2 | 13 | Sky Blue FC |
| 2 | 14 | Western New York Flash |
| 2 | 15 | Orlando Pride (via FCKC/WAS/PTFC) |
| 2 | 16 | FC Kansas City (via WAS/PTFC/HOU) |
| 2 | 17 | Chicago Red Stars (via WAS) |
| 2 | 18 | FC Kansas City |
| 2 | 19 | Chicago Red Stars |
| 2 | 20 | Washington Spirit (via BOS/PTFC/BOS/SRFC) |
| 3 | 21 | Orlando Pride |
| 3 | 22 | Boston Breakers |
| 3 | 23 | Sky Blue FC |
| 3 | 24 | Western New York Flash |
| 3 | 25 | Seattle Reign FC (via PTFC) |
| 3 | 26 | Western New York Flash (via HOU) |
| 3 | 27 | Chicago Red Stars (via WAS) |
| 3 | 28 | FC Kansas City |
| 3 | 29 | Chicago Red Stars |
| 3 | 30 | Seattle Reign FC |
| 4 | 31 | Orlando Pride |
| 4 | 32 | Boston Breakers |
| 4 | 33 | Sky Blue FC |
| 4 | 34 | Washington Spirit (via WNYF) |
| 4 | 35 | Boston Breakers (via PTFC) |
| 4 | 36 | Houston Dash |
| 4 | 37 | Washington Spirit |
| 4 | 38 | FC Kansas City |
| 4 | 39 | Chicago Red Stars |
| 4 | 40 | Seattle Reign FC |
* = Due to future considerations these picks are not eligible to be traded.
