The San Diego Seals made a massive splash on Tuesday afternoon, securing the rights to the former first overall pick of the 2024 NLL Draft, forward Brennan O’Neill from the Philadelphia Wings.
The Seals secured O’Neill’s rights by way of the National Lacrosse League’s Disbursement Draft.
O’Neill was the Seals’ first round pick in Tuesday’s Disbursement Draft and should he end up donning the purple and gold, the Seals will have landed not only a former first overall pick, but one of professional lacrosse’s most coveted forwards to line up alongside Wes Berg, Tre Leclaire, Zach Currier and the rest of the Seals talented roster.
O’Neill was one of five players selected by the Seals. His selection preceded those of defensemen Jake Saunders (second round) and Mason Woodward (fourth round) of Ottawa (second round), and forwards Gregory Elijah-Brown of the Black Bears (third round) and Phil Caputo of the Wings (fifth round).
“It’s an extremely exciting day for our entire organization and for Seals fans in San Diego and throughout Southern California to secure the rights to a player of Brennan’s caliber, and really all five of the players we selected this afternoon,” said Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill. “We’re excited to welcome all five players to the Seals and I’m looking forward to seeing all of them compete for a chance to earn a spot on our roster.”
A 6-3, 230 pounder out of Bay Shore, New York, O’Neill scored 56 goals and recorded 69 assists (125 total points) in two seasons with the Wings. O’Neill’s talents aren’t limited to box lacrosse as he’s also one of the world’s top outdoor lacrosse performers. Winner of the 20223 Tewarton Award as collegiate lacrosse’s top player at Duke, O’Neill also was named ACC offensive Player of the Year, and he was a two-time first-team All-America for the Blue Devils. In 2023, he was the only collegiate player selected to compete on Team USA’s gold medal winning side in the World Lacrosse Men’s Outdoor Championships, and he scored a team-leading five goals in the gold medal match against Canada on his way to earning tournament MVP and Most Outstanding Midfielder honors. In addition to his first-overall selection by the Wings, the Denver Outlaws made O’Neill the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Premier League Draft.
A former second-round pick of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in 2022, Saunders is heading into his fourth NLL season. The 6-2, 187 pounder spent two seasons with the Desert Dogs before joining Ottawa for the 2025-26 campaign. In 34 career games, the 26-year-old defenseman forced 28 turnovers, blocked 11 shots and scooped up 111 loose balls.
Brown is a young player who’s yet to appear in an NLL game. The 6-0, 211 pounder was drafted by the Black Bears in 2025 in the fifth round while still competing as a collegian at Syracuse. He scored five goals for the Orangemen as a senior in 2025.
Woodward is another young player who has yet to appear in an NLL contest. The 6-2, 210 pounder was originally drafted by the Ottawa franchise in the fourth round of the 2023 NLL Draft.
Unlike Brown and Woodward, Caputo is an established 10-year NLL veteran whose career has seen him make stops in New England, Toronto, Rochester, Panther City, Philadelphia and Ottawa. The 32-year-old 6-3, 200 pounder from Brampton, Ontario, Canada was drafted 28th overall by New England in 2015. After bouncing around early in his career, Caputo became a key cog in Panther City’s offense during the 2022-24 seasons when he scored 80 goals and racked up 50 assists. His career totals heading into the 2026-27 season include 115 games played, 142 goals scored, 88 assists recorded for 230 career points to go along with 321 loose balls secured.
Tuesday’s NLL Disbursement Draft marked the unofficial start to the 2026 National Lacrosse League season. The League’s free agency period is set to open this Friday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m. PT and the League’s entry draft is slated for a week from Thursday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m. PT.
For all the latest news and information on the San Diego Seals, visit https://www.sealslax.com/ and follow the team on social media at @SealsLax on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
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