The Blues' slim 2025 draft hand plus an intriguing conundrum presents an intriguing 18 months of draft focus for Carlton fans, let alone what their plans could be for the November haul on this year's draft night.

One prospect that has plenty of intrigue surrounding his AFL future is father-son Harry Dean, touted as the best key defender talent in the 2025 draft class.

The Vic Country player stops the tape at 193cm but plays taller with his aerial ability and defensive prowess to negate key forwards erring on or over the two-metre mark.

However, the Blues' current draft hand means that Dean would have to slip to at least Pick 26 if they were able to match a bid on his talents, potentially leading to the young gun slipping through to another club if Carlton can't trade in more selections to boost their draft points.

Speaking on this week's episode of Craft of the Drafthost Mitch Keating said the Blues would have to actively pursue additional picks as clubs may begin to value Dean higher because of their current draft hand.

"The issue for Carlton is with those three picks (currently 34, 45, and 63) tallying 510 points, they are relying on him to be Pick 26 or later to be able to match a bid on his services," Keating said.

"So with clubs that are keen to get key defenders in, they could be valuing Dean a lot higher in this year's draft, which is going to cause a bit of a concern for Carlton who will need to be quite active in the trade space to be bringing enough picks to match the bid."

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Jack Ison and Tyson Gresham are also tied to the club through the Next Generation Academy and suit the needs of Carlton, according to analyst Jonty Ralphsmith.

"Tyson Gresham's a small forward and I think they need a small forward. Jack Ison's a perfectly built player to play anywhere really - a utility," Ralphsmith said.

"I think what they need most is a small forward and they get that through Tyson Gresham, but I think they're in such desperate need, I wouldn't be surprised if they got another.

"Maybe like a Zane Peucker from South Australia.

"...Over the long term, they need to start future-proofing that forward line."

With access to Cody Walker in 2026 as well, the next 18 months will be an intriguing watch for the Blues on how they assess their list needs.

You can watch Craft of the Draft's breakdown of Carlton's draft plans below, or watch this week's full episode on Zero Hanger's YouTube channel.

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