The Daily Wave: John Berner More Proof That Colorado’s Draft Scouting Is Top Notch

They ended up with like 6 players from 2009, and I'll just get them out of the way by saying that the undeniable star of the bunch was Steward Ceus. So, yeah. Keep going back and you'll keep seeing that the Rapids occasionally hit on a decent player or two from the draft, but were usually more interested in trading their picks or just blowing them on whatever player they happened to see on the board (hello, Ciaran O'Brian!).

Turns out that Colorado did their homework. The two of them helped carry the Rapids to the playoffs with a combined 15 goals and 10 assists, winning and finishing runner up of the rookie of the year competition. Fast forward one year, and we've got another group of unknowns, from a draft class that was noted as one of the least impressive in recent years. Early returns would suggest that the Rapids, once again, did their homework.

Berner has looked just as good as any other goalkeeper that has been drafted in the last several years. He was a fourth rounder who, four months ago, I doubt anyone outside of southern Illinois had heard much about. Most people had Andre Blake as the best goalkeeper in the draft, with Rafael Diaz right behind him and a few other names before they hit Berner. 2009 Colorado would probably have just gone with Diaz if they were going to pick up a 'keeper. He was the consensus pick. The draft-savvy Rapids of 2014 instead went with Berner, and they have four points in their first two games in large part because of that.

I can't wait to see if the other three RapKids of the 2014 draft pan out just as well. If they do, this team goes once again from 'questionable depth' to 'playoff depth' in the blink of an eye.