NHSLS Uncommitted 2027s: Defenders Who Stood Out

<a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/07/nhsls-2027-uncommitted-midfielders-who-stood-out/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/07/nhsls-2027-uncommitted-midfielders-who-stood-out/">After taking a look at some uncommitted midfielders who stood out at the NHSLS sessions</a>, it's time to turn the focus to defenders who are still on the board. Both Ryan Whitman (Boys' Latin/Colgate) and Collin Weis (St. Christopher's/Washington and Lee) were originally slated for this piece before they committed recently. Here are five more quality defenders who remain available:    Brayden Tedio did enough to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the first NHSLS session. He has a lot of the traits you want in a top defender, and most importantly, he has that dawg in him— he does what it takes to get the ball back for his offense. His feet are exactly what you look for: quick enough to stay with dodgers who have speed and change of direction. He also has the strength in his base and upper body to make life tough on matchups with his V-holds, reverse V-holds, and cross-checks. His natural timing off the ball shows up often, whether he is getting his stick into passing lanes or arriving as the second slide. He is reliable with his stick and when the ball hits the turf, which helps finish defensive stands.     Kallio checks all the boxes you look for in an LSM. He lands a ton of takeaway checks outside the box on first contact when midfielders go to dodge on him. His footwork lets him hang with quicker matchups, and he does a nice job staying on their top hand. What really stood out was how well he covers space off the ball and scrapes back onto his man, cutting down the need for rotations and making offenses work harder. With the ball, he is comfortable under pressure and across the midline, and he scored some goals throughout the season because of it.     I really liked what I saw from Jack Purcell at NHSLS. His approaches were clean and controlled, staying in front until it was time to get on hands and make it uncomfortable for dodgers. When the defense had to rotate, he closed out with good pace and impacted ball movement without overextending. He has a knack for getting his stick into lanes and creating at least one turnover a game off of it. In the clearing game, his stick is reliable, and he does a good job staying out of trouble by not doing too much.     While it seems like Zygulski has more of a future in hockey, he is the type of player who would still interest a lot of college lacrosse staffs. “Ziggy” brings his hockey mentality straight over to the field. His stick is dependable in traffic, both carrying and in ground-ball situations when he needs to goose it or scoop under pressure. Defensively, he has that built-in hockey edge and strength, so getting into his matchup's body is natural for him. What really popped at NHSLS was his off-ball work— he consistently helped on the crease, communicated, and rotated into the right spots.     At the very least, if you can add a 6-foot-6 defender like Luke Rutter into your defense, you know offenses are going to have a tough time skipping passes. That shows up a lot in his game, but there is more to like than just his size. He moves pretty well for a player his height, and his length is enough to make up for sharp change-of-direction moves from quicker dodgers. The fact that he towers over most matchups alone is often enough to make dodgers move the ball. Highland Park even used him on the wing on faceoffs at NHSLS because he is good on ground balls and handles the ball well in transition.

After taking a look at some uncommitted midfielders who stood out at the NHSLS sessions, it's time to turn the focus to defenders who are still on the board. Both Ryan Whitman (Boys' Latin/Colgate) and Collin Weis (St. Christopher's/Washington and Lee) were originally slated for this piece before they committed recently. Here are five more quality defenders who remain available:

Brayden Tedio

HEIGHT 6'1"

POS D

CLASS 2027

View Player

Brayden Tedio

State: Illinois

School: St. Viator

Club: Baltimore Crabs

Brayden Tedio did enough to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the first NHSLS session. He has a lot of the traits you want in a top defender, and most importantly, he has that dawg in him— he does what it takes to get the ball back for his offense. His feet are exactly what you look for: quick enough to stay with dodgers who have speed and change of direction. He also has the strength in his base and upper body to make life tough on matchups with his V-holds, reverse V-holds, and cross-checks. His natural timing off the ball shows up often, whether he is getting his stick into passing lanes or arriving as the second slide. He is reliable with his stick and when the ball hits the turf, which helps finish defensive stands.