On the first day of every month, Zero Hanger's AFL Draft associate, Craft of the Draft, will drop a power rankings with an expanding list for each edition.
The August edition is 30 names, with National Championships form playing a significant role in the rankings, while some prospects have impressed at state league level in recent times.
For the first time all year, there has been a change at the top, with Willem Duursma's MVP-winning carnival catapulting him to pole position, at the expense of Cooper Duff-Tytler, who has still been very good.
There are a total of 11 AFL club-tied prospects, highlighting that the first round of the AFL Draft could push well beyond 30 selections by the time Free Agency compensation and potential priority picks are factored in.
It is also worth noting that Zeke Uwland and Jevan Phillipou, who have been injured for large parts of 2025, fall down the rankings slightly given a lack of exposed form, which is a criteria for this piece.
On the precipice:
Collingwood father-son prospect Tom McGuane has been a staple of these rankings but was squeezed out after a solid, but unspectacular, National Championships. However, he remains right around the mark at this stage of the draft.
Murray Bushrangers tall forward Liam Hetherton is also desperately unlucky not to feature, with injury preventing him from taking part at the National Championships, but he remains a key forward with plenty to offer.
Taj Murray's first game for the Allies proved his high ceiling as a tall utility, and there's every chance he could feature in the first round.
Harry Kyle is a Sydney Swans Academy prospect coming with a bolt, while Oakleigh third tall defender Max Kondogiannis was another to significantly enhance his standing as one of the best-performed players for Vic Metro.
Hugo Mikunda excited plenty with some of his performances for Vic Country, and those around him say there's plenty more to show with his rare blend of endurance and speed, and he's done it off a very limited pre-season, while St Kilda-tied defender Kye Fincher plays the halfback role beautifully and is around the mark.
A bonus one...
31 - Fred Rodriguez
South Fremantle, midfielder
The Western Australian skipper has come back a little in recent times, but still did enough at the National Championships to take out the MVP. He's a bigger body in the engine room, which he uses to win hard balls and lay tackles, and has an athletic profile to give him good balance as an inside midfielder. Gets to lots of contests and wins clearances, with his average of 18 disposals per game for the Black Swans belying his true impact.
10-6
10 - Mitch Marsh
West Adelaide, forward
The tall forward has a lot of great attributes and kicked a Championships-high 12 goals, impressively standing up in South Australia's two tightest games. Slightly undersized for a true key forward, he plays taller with his confidence in the air but is also athletic enough to get opponents on the ground and is a nice kick inside 50, making him dangerous in quick transition play.
9 - Sam Cumming
North Adelaide, midfielder-forward
The midfielder-forward is damaging with his burst from the contest, ability to take a mark and effectiveness with ball in hand in the forward half. A natural ball-winner around the contest, he showcased his versatility for South Australia, with his blend of dynamism and aerial confidence making him a tough matchup. Has been likened to Isaac Heeney and will likely start his career as a forward who gets more midfield minutes as his career progresses.
8 - Harry Dean
Murray Bushrangers, key defender
Carlton father-son prospect
The big riser of the month, Carlton's father-son prospect didn't put a foot wrong throughout the U18s National Championships, which has propelled him into top 10 conversations. An athletic tall who backs himself to fly for marks, has speed and is a sound distributor; there are few flaws to his game. He and Harry O'Farrell project as a brilliant future one-two combination in defence for Carlton's Next Generation.
7 - Ollie Greeves
Eastern Ranges, midfielder
The big-bodied midfielder took out Vic Metro's MVP after being clearly his side's most consistent player across the four games. More than the big-bodied, powerful, ball-winning prototype, Greeves' overlap ability is excellent, and he's starting to get the opportunity to showcase his forward craft in patches, where his size and athleticism make him a tough matchup. In between the Vic Metro games, he's been a dominant force for Caulfield Grammar.
6 - Josh Lindsay
Geelong Falcons, halfback
His consistency for Vic Country across the four games was underlined by All-Australian selection as a halfback, where his lethal kicking came to the fore. His intercepting and ball-use are the well-known attributes that have propelled the Geelong leader into top-10 calculations, and he's rounding his game out by winning more contested footy. The way he sees and sets up the game with his decision-making and execution allows him to punish the opposition on turnover and gives his side a chance to transition quickly and score from the back half.
