On Thursday morning, the Portland Timbers selected holding midfielder Nick Besler with the No. 5 pick in the MLS SuperDraft.

The pick was the highest that Portland has taken since drafting Darlington Nagbe with the No. 2 pick in 2011. And, for the most part, recent No. 5 draft picks have gone on to be starters in MLS.

While it remains to be seen whether Besler will crack Portland's 18 this season, he's certainly a player that could have success with the Timbers in years to come.

How they have fared

Besler appeared in 72 matches during his career at the University of Notre Dame, recording two goals and five assists during that time. He also helped lead the Fighting Irish to the 2013 NCAA National Championship title.

The 21-year-old was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) first-team pick during the last two seasons (2013, 2014) and was named to the NSCAA All-American second-team in 2014.

Besler is probably best known for being the younger brother of U.S. National Team defender and Sporting Kansas City mainstay Matt Besler.

Here are some other articles that are worth checking out if you want to get to know Nick Besler:

First thing you need to know: Nick Besler's name is pronounced "Beez-ler"

Besler had plenty of success in college and capped off his college career with a stellar senior season at Notre Dame.

It's not going to be easy for Nick Besler to step out of his brother's shadow, but the younger Besler doesn't seem to mind following in his brother's path. In a recent profile, he told the Kansas City Star that he would love to be the next "Matt Besler."

Most of the media attention Nick Besler has received has been through his brother. Their relationship has been well-documented in the press.

This summer, Besler had the opportunity to watch his older brother compete at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and spoke with The Atlantic about what it was like to watch his brother succeed on the international stage.

Still, Besler hopes to forge his own path in MLS. After attending the same college as his brother, he said he is excited to get a chance to finally play for a different team than his brother when he goes to Portland.

Here's more comments from Besler made on draft night after being selected by the Timbers:

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg