On the heels of surprisingly taking an offensive player with their first pick, the Vancouver Whitecaps bolstered their defensive corps by taking Chris Estridge with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Estridge is unlikely to be a starter early on, but should be solid depth at fullback.
MLS Draft 2012: Vancouver Whitecaps Select Chris Estridge With No. 21 Pick
Estridge had a bit of a breakout season in 2011, his second year at Indiana after transferring from Wake Forest. The fullback, who is equally adept at playing on either side, scored three goals and had five assists. Those aren’t necessarily eye-popping numbers, but teams are always look to generate offense from the back and he’s clearly capable of doing a little of that. Riding that breakout performance, Estridge was named NSCAA first-team, along with being named All-Big Ten Conference first team.
If there’s one major concern about Estridge, it’s that his position as a pro is not entirely clear. While he proved to be a capable defender, he’s potentially a bit undersized to deal with some of MLS’s bigger midfielders and could be moved up to the midfield himself.
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