West 2028s: Six Defenders Who Topped The Regional Rankings

There's a ton to weigh when evaluating defensemen. What are they doing on the field now? On-ball, off-ball, sliding ability, and communication are the obvious ones. But what about what they will become? Do they have the frame and size to add muscle and match up against the best at the next level—and will the athleticism still be there if they do? With that in mind, these defensemen from the West topped our <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-west-region-rankings/" data-type="link" data-id="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-west-region-rankings/">latest 2028 regional rankings</a>. Let's take a look at six of our top close defenders from the 2028 West Regional Rankings.    The talk about McCurdy wasn't just regional—it was national. Just missing our national rankings, he's the type of defender you want leading your defense. An attackman's worst nightmare, he dictates matchups from the start because he's given the freedom to extend out on early possessions. You can throw him on an island and not have to worry. He's a lot like his Hilltop teammate Brooks Simonds in that he feasts on lefty matchups. With his stick upfield against lefties, he absolutely harasses his matchup's elbows and gloves with constant checks. The dodger's only route to peace is sprinting over the top or finessing underneath, where McCurdy is happy to deliver a hard cross-check. His fundamental positioning off the ball sets him up for success: he gets his stick into skip lanes, is ready to slide, jump, and double, and uses textbook approaches to dictate the dodger's path early on. With a defender this good, I'm hearing he's expected to be off the board to an Ivy this week—it's just a matter of where.     I'm not judging Boyle's game off one clip, but <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Db3zYqrolNi/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.instagram.com/p/Db3zYqrolNi/">this early-summer one got me to pay attention</a>—and shows what makes him great. He's aggressive on the ball, staying on his hands and relying on hard crosses to pummel ball carriers off their line. His identity is built more from his off-ball play. As a ball carrier, you do not want to see Boyle coming your way on a slide or rotation, let alone a coma slide. He gets his sidelines juiced while staying (mostly) clean on hits. His lower body is so strong it doesn't take much to make players pay for getting too close to his crease. When that ball hits the ground, he's gobbling it up the first time, has a solid stick, and makes good decisions in the clear and in transition.     Everyone I spoke to in the region raved about Marshall Dunn. It's easy to see why Brown jumped on him early. He brings versatility, playing great defense all over the field while also having everything you want in an LSM. He's an athlete all over the field with his feet as the main attraction. They give him the range to throw hard pokes and lifts at opportune times, while he's steady enough to sit down and give the straps to the No. 1 attackman or midfielder—depending on who his team wants to shut down. His IQ and range show up off the ball: he knows how to be deceptive in his slides, looking for the right time to sneak up and jump the ball carrier, and when to step into a skip lane for a pick. When he does end up with the ball, his stick shines. He uses his six feet of metal (hopefully not carbon fiber, the way he throws checks) to let it rip straight overhand—and good luck to the goalie looking that down.     Ranked No. 28 in the West Rankings and Oregon's top-ranked player, Axton Rutherford will make a Division I program very happy when they land him. Looking at my notes from Naptown and the Iron Bowl, he stood out in transition: gobbling groundballs on the first hop, getting up and out, drawing in transition, and using both hands to get away from pressure and feed teammates. At Showtime, he stood out off the ball—showing toward the ball to make dodgers think twice, then covering ground and scrapping back to his matchup to kill advantages. He also capitalizes on a ton of doubles on rollbacks that kill possessions. On the ball, his arm strength stands out in how he lifts his arms to jar the ball loose.     If you have Brown's height, athleticism, and versatility, your ceiling will be pretty high. He's not the most polished in the group, but if he adds some weight and refines his skills, he'll be a high-level defender. At the New Balance Games, he was constant on groundballs—seemed always to be the first one there, using his length to his advantage when the race was close. He added a ton of pace to transition, and his stick looked solid when he did have it. Brown's feet and reach stand out on defense. His footwork allows him to match up with straight-line speed dodgers, and his reach gives him an extra cushion to stay on his hands and come up with takeaway checks when all else fails.     A defender who could easily reach the higher levels of Division I, Palmer is sneaky athletic. He's not the biggest or most athletic defender on the board, but he gets it done by playing his angles well and leaning on a high IQ—knowing when to jump on ball carriers both on and off the ball, and when to sit back and stick to the fundamentals. When the Kings weren't getting it done at the X, Palmer was the first one to bump up for a double-pole option. That speaks to his ability as an LSM: great on groundballs, rangy when he needs to be, and a solid stick in transition.

There's a ton to weigh when evaluating defensemen. What are they doing on the field now? On-ball, off-ball, sliding ability, and communication are the obvious ones. But what about what they will become? Do they have the frame and size to add muscle and match up against the best at the next level—and will the athleticism still be there if they do? With that in mind, these defensemen from the West topped our latest 2028 regional rankings. Let's take a look at six of our top close defenders from the 2028 West Regional Rankings.