UPDATED: May 4, 2020 at 10:14 p.m.

Former Syracuse defender Nick Mellen was selected fourth overall by the Boston Cannons in the MLL Draft on Monday night. He was listed in mock drafts and described by front office members as one of the top selections available, and will join former teammate Tyson Bomberry with the Cannons.

Mellen spent five years with the Orange, but only played in parts of four after redshirting his sophomore season and missing all but one game in 2020 due to a leg injury. He still finished fifth all-time in program history, with 55 caused turnovers, consistently serving as one of Syracuse’s top cover defenders while earning two All-American honors.

“I didn’t know he’d be there,” Boston head coach Sean Quirk told The Daily Orange. “I’m a bit surprised, not shocked, certainly about the way we were able to pick him up.”

In his freshman season, Mellen ranked second and third on the Orange with 14 caused turnovers and 38 ground balls, respectively. The local West Genesee (New York) High School product went on to lead SU with 22 caused turnovers during the 2018 season — his first as its top cover guy.

But in 2020, after a third season pairing with Bomberry and Marcus Cunningham at close defense, Mellen stepped into a larger role when they both graduated. In the season-opener against Colgate, however, Mellen hobbled off the field in the third quarter and didn’t play another minute the rest of the season. Two days before his slated return against Rutgers on March 14, the NCAA canceled the season amid the coronavirus’ outbreak.

But Mellen still received his chance at playing professional lacrosse with the Cannons. On April 13, he became the first SU lacrosse player to announce he wouldn’t use the extra year of eligibility, instead registering for the MLL draft. Mellen is the first Syracuse player drafted this year after the Orange’s other five graduating starters chose to return with the NCAA’s eligibility relief.

“He’s just a prototypical professional defenseman that we feel like will earn his spot to get in the mix right away,” Quirk said.

This story has been updated with additional reporting from senior staff writer Arabdho Majumder.

Published on May 4, 2020 at 8:01 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew