Article via LaxMagazine.com

TORONTO — The National Lacrosse League’s newest fans will get to see the sport’s most celebrated brother act since the Gaits, as the Georgia Swarm selected Lyle Thompson first overall in the 2015 NLL draft Monday night in Toronto.

Thompson, the two-time Tewaaraton Award winner out of Albany, will join his brother, Miles, on the Swarm, who relocated from Minnesota to Georgia in the offseason. He’s only the second player history to go No. 1 in both the MLL and NLL drafts (Kevin Crowley, 2011).

“It feels like I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Thompson said. “I’m excited for a lot of things: to play with Miles, a new team and to play with some old friends. Chemistry is not going to be problem offensively for this team.”

Thompson, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (400 points), had 22 goals and 16 assists in eight games during an abbreviated rookie season with MLL’s Florida Launch. He’s coming off an All-World showing with the silver medalist Iroquois Nationals in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.

The Georgia Swarm, Rochester Knighthawks and Calgary Roughnecks loaded up for one of the deepest and most talented draft classes in NLL history, accounting for eight of the nine first-round picks. Georgia selected four of the top six.

Georgia picked up another righty scoring weapon when it selected Randy Staats (Syracuse) at No. 5, then went with transition man Chad Tutton (North Carolina) at No. 6.

First Round
1. Georgia Swarm – Lyle Thompson (Albany)
6. Georgia Swarm – Randy Staats (Syracuse)

Second Round
16. Rochester Knighthawks – Adam Bomberry (Onondaga)

Fourth Round
38. Rochester Knighthawks – Greg Longboat (Six Nations Arrows)

Sixth Round
49. Vancouver Stealth – Marvin Curry (Potomac State)