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Draft Rounds
The MLR College Draft consists of three rounds. Draft selections can be traded.
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How the Major League Rugby College Draft works, who is eligible, what Draft and Follow means, and how college rugby players move from the collegiate game toward professional rugby.
The key rules and requirements to understand before getting into how the MLR College Draft works.
The MLR College Draft consists of three rounds. Draft selections can be traded.
Players must have completed three years of college or be at least 21 years old.
Players must have been enrolled and played college or university rugby in the United States or Canada during the applicable academic year.
MLR teams can hold a drafted player's rights until he becomes eligible to play in MLR.
A drafted player's MLR rights can be traded to another MLR team.
Eligible players must declare for the Draft to have the opportunity to play for an MLR team.
The Major League Rugby (MLR) College Draft is a three-round player draft that provides eligible men's college rugby players at U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities with a pathway into Major League Rugby.
MLR created the College Draft to support the college rugby landscape, provide a pathway for U.S. and Canadian collegiate players to Major League Rugby, provide transparency for MLR teams, collegiate players and administrators, and encourage parity among MLR teams.
Eligible college players declare for the Draft and can then be selected by an MLR team. Once selected, the player's MLR rights are assigned to the drafting team under MLR's Draft and Follow system.
The player competes in college or university rugby in the United States or Canada and meets MLR's Draft eligibility rules.
An eligible player declares for the MLR College Draft and submits the required eligibility documentation.
MLR teams make selections during the three-round College Draft.
The drafting team receives the player's MLR rights under the Draft and Follow system.
The player becomes eligible to play in MLR through graduation, expiry of college eligibility or relinquishment of college eligibility.
Once the player becomes eligible to play in MLR, contract specifics are negotiated between Major League Rugby, the team holding his rights, and the player.
Major League Rugby identifies four primary goals behind the College Draft.
Support the college rugby landscape and strengthen its connection with the professional game.
Provide U.S. and Canadian collegiate players with a defined pathway to Major League Rugby.
Provide transparency for MLR teams, collegiate players and college rugby administrators.
Help distribute incoming collegiate talent through a structured draft system designed to encourage parity across the league.
A player must meet MLR's college enrollment, rugby participation, and age or college-experience requirements to be eligible for the College Draft.
For the 2026 MLR College Draft, the player must have been enrolled at a U.S. or Canadian college or university during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Evidence: college or university transcriptsThe player must have competed in college or university rugby during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Evidence: rugby registration informationThe player must have completed three years of college or be at least 21 years old.
Either condition can satisfy this requirementA student attending a college or university outside the United States or Canada is not eligible for the College Draft under MLR's current rules.
Players who do not fall within MLR's College Draft eligibility rules may still be able to enter Major League Rugby if an MLR team wants their services.
Yes. A player who meets MLR's College Draft eligibility rules must declare for the Draft to have the opportunity to play for an MLR team through the applicable draft process.
Under MLR's current policy, a player who is eligible for the College Draft but does not declare is not eligible to participate in MLR during the season following the expiration of his collegiate eligibility or graduation.
MLR may grant a waiver at its sole discretion on a case-by-case basis. Under the published policy, any such entry would be no earlier than after the midpoint of that MLR season.
The player acknowledges that negotiating or signing an MLR contract may affect his remaining collegiate eligibility.
The player must be willing to relocate to any MLR team that drafts him.
The player must agree to allow MLR to use his image and attributes in connection with the Draft.
Draft and Follow allows an MLR team to draft a college player, receive his MLR rights and retain those rights during the applicable rights period before or after he becomes eligible to play in Major League Rugby.
Once a player is drafted, his MLR rights are assigned to the drafting team. The team does not have to sign the player immediately.
MLR teams may activate those rights at any point until the midpoint of the next competitive MLR season after the player becomes eligible to play in MLR through graduation, expiry of college eligibility or relinquishment of college eligibility.
The drafting team retains the player's assigned MLR rights through the applicable rights period, which extends until the midpoint of the next competitive MLR season after the player becomes eligible to play in MLR.
The drafting team receives the player's MLR rights.
The drafting team retains the player's assigned MLR rights during the applicable rights period.
This can occur through graduation, expiry of college eligibility or relinquishment of college eligibility.
The rights period extends until the midpoint of the next competitive MLR season after the player becomes eligible to play in MLR.
An undrafted player and a drafted player who is not signed can follow different paths into Major League Rugby. What happens next depends largely on whether the player remains eligible for a future MLR College Draft.
A player who declares for the College Draft but is not selected may enter MLR if a team wants his services and he is no longer eligible for the next College Draft.
If the player remains eligible for the next College Draft, he must enroll again in that Draft to join MLR.
If a drafted player is not signed within the applicable rights period, he may enter the subsequent year's College Draft as long as he remains eligible for the Draft.
If he is no longer College Draft eligible, he may enter MLR if a team wants his services.
The 2026 MLR College Draft order is based on the inverse of the final 2026 MLR standings, with playoff progression and regular-season record used to determine that final order.
Teams are placed into the Draft order using the inverse of the final 2026 MLR standings.
The final standings take into account how far each team advances in the 2026 MLR Playoffs.
Regular-season performance is also used when establishing the final standings that determine Draft position.
Yes. The published Draft order is subject to change because MLR teams can trade Draft selections.
As a result, a team may ultimately make a selection in a different position from the one originally produced by the final standings.
A few important questions about the MLR College Draft are worth answering separately, especially for players trying to understand how the college-to-professional pathway applies to them.
Yes. A foreign student attending a university or college in the United States or Canada may declare for the MLR College Draft, provided he meets the other applicable eligibility requirements.
No. MLR's published College Draft eligibility information does not restrict eligibility to a particular division of U.S. or Canadian college rugby.
No. Being drafted assigns a player's rights to an MLR team. The player's professional contract is a separate step and is negotiated after the applicable collegiate eligibility requirements have been satisfied.
Yes. Under MLR's Draft and Follow system, the team holding a drafted player's rights may sign the player or trade those rights to another MLR team during the applicable rights period.
Rugby Fan Central's MLR College Draft Explained guide is based on Major League Rugby's published College Draft rules and policies. Draft policies can change, so players should confirm current requirements with Major League Rugby before making eligibility or registration decisions.